Table 2.

Description of all study variables (N = 2073).

	N	%
Gender
Female	1022	49.3
Male	1051	50.7
Educational attainment by 26 years
No qualifications	748	36.1
Vocational qualifications	156	7.5
Ordinary level qualifications	440	21.2
Advanced level qualifications or above	730	35.2
Social class
Manual	704	34.0
Non-Manual	1369	66.0
Relationship status
Married
At 36 years	1774	85.6
At 43 years	1716	82.8
At 53 years	1659	80.0
Separated or divorced or widowed
At 36 years	35	1.7
At 43 years	246	11.9
At 53 years	316	15.2
Total number stressors at 36 years
No stressors	455	21.9
One stressor	585	28.2
Two stressors	591	28.5
Three stressors	301	14.5
Four or more stressors	141	6.8
Total number stressors at 43 years
No stressors	547	26.4
One stressor	669	32.3
Two stressors	467	22.5
Three stressors	255	12.3
Four or more stressors	135	6.5
Family and economic stressors at 36 years
None	1478	71.3
One or more stressor, no life change	316	15.2
One or more stressor, with life change	279	13.5
Interpersonal relationship stressors at 36 years
None	582	28.1
One or more stressor, no life change	1187	57.3
One or more stressor, with life change	304	14.7
Family and economic stressors at 43 years
None	1217	58.7
One or more stressor, no life change	531	25.6
One or more stressor, with life change	325	15.7
Interpersonal relationship stressors at 43 years
None	853	41.1
One or more stressor, no life change	902	43.5
One or more stressor, with life change	318	15.3
Common mental disorder
Adolescence (13 and 15 years)
Case	150	7.2
Non-case	1924	92.8
PSE at 36 years (cut off score ≥ 4)
Case	247	11.9
Non-case	1826	88.1
PSF at 43 years (cut off score ≥ 22)
Case	277	13.4
Non-case	1796	86.6
GHQ-28 at 53 years (cut off score ≥ 6)
Case	348	16.8
Non-case	1725	83.2

Note: As different items were used to indicate common mental disorder at the different ages, percentages from these measures are not comparable.