Study of one million Danish children: Childhood adversity increases the
risk of early death

Date:
August 19, 2020
Source:
University of Copenhagen The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Summary:
Social adversity in early childhood appears to be a significant risk
factor for death in early adulthood. Children who have experienced
repeated serious adversity such as losing a parent, mental illness
in the family, poverty or being placed in foster care have a 4.5
times higher risk of dying in early adulthood than children who
have not experienced adversity during childhood.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
In many ways, our childhood lays the foundation of our health in adult
life. It is central to our physical and cognitive development. If this development is disturbed, it may have long-term consequences for our
physical and mental health later in life.


==========================================================================
In a new study, researchers from the Faculty of Health and Medical
Sciences at the University of Copenhagen show that adversity in childhood increases the risk of premature death in early adulthood (16-36 years
of age).

The researchers have recorded social and stressful adversity* in childhood among one million Danish children.

'We divided the children into five groups depending on the degree of
adversity experienced in childhood. The more stressful experiences they
have experienced during childhood, the higher the mortality rate in
early adulthood. For the most vulnerable children, the mortality rate
is surprisingly 4.5 times higher', says Professor Naja Hulvej Rod from
the Department of Public Health.

The higher mortality rate mainly manifests itself in suicide and
accidents, but the study also shows a higher risk of dying from cancer
in this group.

Poverty in Childhood Does Not Rhyme with Welfare State According to the researchers, the results of the study stress the critical importance of
broad structural public-health initiatives to reduce stressful adversity
in childhood. For example, prevention of childhood poverty and other
adversity in childhood. With time, it may help reduce social inequality
in health.



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'It is striking to see such a strong connection between adversity
in childhood and mortality in the Danish welfare state, which among
other things aims to promote financial stability among families with
young children and to minimise social adversity. From an international perspective, you may worry that these associations are even stronger in
a less extensive welfare system', says Naja Hulvej Rod.

The study is the first of its kind on a global basis. The size of the
study has made it possible for the researchers to study the associations between incidents of social and stressful adversity throughout childhood
and how it affects mortality rates among young adults.

*In the study, social adversity is defined as financial poverty or
long-term unemployment in the family, while stressful adversity includes
e.g. death of a parent, divorce or alcohol/drug abuse among the parents.

Group 1: 54 % of the children experienced no or only very few isolated incidents of adversity in childhood.

Groups 2-4: 43 % of the children experienced isolated incidents of
adversity in childhood, mainly related to poverty or illness in the
family. Here the researchers found a mortality rate in early adulthood
that is 1.3-1.8 times higher than in Group 1.

Group 5: 3 % experienced great social and stressful adversity throughout childhood. In this group, the mortality rate is 4.5 times higher than
in Group 1.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided
by University_of_Copenhagen_The_Faculty_of_Health_and
Medical_Sciences. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Naja H Rod, Jessica Bengtsson, Esben Budtz-Jo/rgensen, Clara Clipet-
Jensen, David Taylor-Robinson, Anne-Marie Nybo Andersen, Nadya Dich,
Andreas Rieckmann. Trajectories of childhood adversity and mortality
in early adulthood: a population-based cohort study. The Lancet,
2020; 396 (10249): 489 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30621-8 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200819094805.htm

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