The Intergenerational Cycle of Deprivation: A Narrative Review of Early-Life Deprivation and Adult Socioeconomic Outcomes

Abstract

Deprivation, viewed as a relative and multidimensional lack of customary societal resources, is increasingly recognized as a stronger determinant of poverty than income alone. This review synthesizes empirical literature to map the causal pathways through which early-life deprivation initiates and perpetuates a self-sustaining cycle of socioeconomic disadvantage across generations. Employing an integrative narrative review design, a systematic search of databases (Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar) was conducted using keywords across three constructs: exposure, outcomes (cognitive, educational, health, employment), and linking terms (e.g., life course, cumulative disadvantage). This process identified and synthesized 64 key studies.
The findings confirm that exposure to adverse conditions in-utero and during early childhood results in a cumulative disadvantage that compromises Human Capital across three critical domains. First, deprivation undermines cognitive development through factors like poor nutrition, sleep, and household socioeconomic status. Second, this leads to setbacks in educational attainment exacerbated by factors like poor school quality, the neighbourhood effect, and lack of parental resources. Third, it increases the incidence of poor physical and mental health in adulthood, linked to increased psychological distress, chronic diseases, and reduced lifespan. These compromised endowments then converge to limit labour market outcomes, resulting in significantly lower employment probability, reduced wages, and sporadic employment, thereby creating the conditions for the intergenerational transfer of deprivation. Thus, adopting a multidimensional, life-course perspective is crucial for developing effective policy interventions.