Reduced social support perpetuates disadvantage across the lifespan for Australian women

BACKGROUND: People who experience disadvantage in childhood—broadly defined as hardship across various social, economic, and health domains—tend to continue experiencing disadvantage in adulthood. This is especially the case for women, who experience greater disadvantage than men across the lifespan and face unique structural barriers to overcoming it. This study examined whether social support in early adulthood acts as a modifiable pathway out of childhood disadvantage for Australian women. METHODS: Data from a subsample of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health 1989-95 cohort (N = 8,755) were analysed. Latent Class Analysis identified childhood disadvantage profiles from retrospectively recalled adverse childhood experiences. Path analysis examined the longitudinal effect of childhood disadvantage on multidimensional adult disadvantage outcomes (financial hardship, educational attainment, psychological distress) via social support. RESULTS: Three profiles of childhood disadvantage emerged: disadvantaged (33% of sample), moderate (43%), and advantaged (24%). Women from disadvantaged backgrounds had poorer adult outcomes across finances, education, and distress, while women from advantaged backgrounds reported the opposite. This relationship was partially explained by the fact that women from less advantaged backgrounds had lower social support in early adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that reduced social support represents a currently under-recognised pathway through which childhood disadvantage perpetuates adult disadvantage for Australian women. Interventions to enhance social connectedness and support, particularly for women and girls from disadvantaged backgrounds, may therefore be a promising area for future public health research and policy development.