Objective: This study presents three approaches, that is, cumulative risk, factor analysis, and latent class analysis, to summarize exposure to multiple childhood social risk factors and to compare their utility when examining associations with physical capability and common affective symptoms in adults aged 60 to 64 years.
Methods: Data came from the U.K. Medical Research Council (MRC) National Survey of Health and Development, with prospective childhood social risk factor data collected in 1950 to 1957 and retrospectively in 1989. Physical capability and common affective symptom data were collected in 2006 to 2011.
Results: The cumulative risk approach and factor analysis provided evidence that children who were exposed to multiple social risk factors had lower levels of physical capability and more symptoms of common affective symptoms in later life.
Discussion: The cumulative social risk approach and the use of factor analysis to identify contexts of social risk, may offer viable methods for linking multiple childhood social risk exposure to aging outcomes.
Keywords: childhood social risk factors; common affective symptoms; life course; physical capability.