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Keep out of the reach of children: parental unemployment and children’s accident risks in Sweden 1991–1993
Author(s) -
Ström Sara
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
international journal of social welfare
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1468-2397
pISSN - 1369-6866
DOI - 10.1111/1468-2397.00195
Subject(s) - unemployment , sample (material) , demographic economics , consumption (sociology) , psychology , economics , demography , economic growth , sociology , social science , chemistry , chromatography
In the early 1990s, unemployment levels increased dramatically in Sweden. Although the effects of unemployment on unemployed individuals are well‐documented, research on parental unemployment and children has been neglected. The aim of the present study is to explore the relationship between parental unemployment and children’s accident risks in Sweden for the period 1991–1993. Two independent samples are used: the Swedish Level of Living Survey 1991 (original sample 6,733 individuals) and the Swedish Longitudinal Study among Unemployed 1992–1993 (original sample 792). The samples were taken during periods of both low and high unemployment. The results indicate that parental unemployment is associated with increased accident risks among children in 1991, 1992 and 1993. The increased risks do not seem to be due to the effects of adverse selection into unemployment on parental well‐being, financial difficulties or alcohol consumption. It is also suggested that low parental well‐being is of causal significance within the unemployed group.