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Risk of severe mental disorders in adults separated temporarily from their parents in childhood: the Helsinki birth cohort study

Risk of severe mental disorders in adults separated temporarily from their parents in childhood: the Helsinki birth cohort study
Risk of severe mental disorders in adults separated temporarily from their parents in childhood: the Helsinki birth cohort study
In a large, prospective epidemiological study we tested whether exposure to severe early life stress increases the risk of severe mental disorders in adulthood, and whether childhood socioeconomic background and sex modify these associations. Among the 12,747 participants of the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study, born 1934–1944, 1719 were recorded as separated temporarily from their parents in childhood. The separations took place during World War II when Finnish children were voluntarily evacuated unaccompanied by their parents to temporary foster care abroad (mean age at and length of separation 4.6 and 1.7 years, respectively). Severe mental disorders were identified from the Finnish Hospital Discharge and Causes of Death Registers between years 1969 and 2004. Compared to the non-separated, the separated had higher risks of mental, substance use and personality disorder (P-values ? 0.05). The risk of any mental and substance use disorder was, however, highest in the separated and lowest in the non-separated with an upper childhood socioeconomic background; individuals with a lower childhood socioeconomic background showed an intermediate risk regardless of their separation status (P-values for interactions ?0.05). Temporary separation from parents poses a risk of severe mental disorders later in life. Children with an upper childhood socioeconomic background may be particularly sensitive to this type of early life stress, while for children with a lower childhood socioeconomic background it may not add to the risk already associated with lower socioeconomic position in childhood.

childhood, lifespan, mental disorders, prospective, stress
0022-3956
332-338
Räikkönen, Katri
32cd0aa3-6dc2-40a3-b1a0-245ccedd41c3
Lahti, Marius
fd381704-d07d-4e9a-b592-adf2313d8bd6
Heinonen, Kati
46bb57d0-1c33-4cdd-badf-d38a5fc61200
Pesonen, Anu-Katriina
8cc53fef-f713-425e-bd01-8f1c53842351
Wahlbeck, Kristian
b88af34b-f33b-4b72-94f9-6fc06d0ed0c1
Kajantie, Eero
d68d55b6-6df1-4195-a914-44c738a6db93
Osmond, Clive
2677bf85-494f-4a78-adf8-580e1b8acb81
Barker, David J.P.
5c773838-b094-4ac1-999b-b5869717f243
Eriksson, Johan G.
eb96b1c5-af07-4a52-8a73-7541451d32cd
Räikkönen, Katri
32cd0aa3-6dc2-40a3-b1a0-245ccedd41c3
Lahti, Marius
fd381704-d07d-4e9a-b592-adf2313d8bd6
Heinonen, Kati
46bb57d0-1c33-4cdd-badf-d38a5fc61200
Pesonen, Anu-Katriina
8cc53fef-f713-425e-bd01-8f1c53842351
Wahlbeck, Kristian
b88af34b-f33b-4b72-94f9-6fc06d0ed0c1
Kajantie, Eero
d68d55b6-6df1-4195-a914-44c738a6db93
Osmond, Clive
2677bf85-494f-4a78-adf8-580e1b8acb81
Barker, David J.P.
5c773838-b094-4ac1-999b-b5869717f243
Eriksson, Johan G.
eb96b1c5-af07-4a52-8a73-7541451d32cd

Räikkönen, Katri, Lahti, Marius, Heinonen, Kati, Pesonen, Anu-Katriina, Wahlbeck, Kristian, Kajantie, Eero, Osmond, Clive, Barker, David J.P. and Eriksson, Johan G. (2011) Risk of severe mental disorders in adults separated temporarily from their parents in childhood: the Helsinki birth cohort study. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 45 (3), 332-338. (doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2010.07.003). (PMID:20659742)

Record type: Article

Abstract

In a large, prospective epidemiological study we tested whether exposure to severe early life stress increases the risk of severe mental disorders in adulthood, and whether childhood socioeconomic background and sex modify these associations. Among the 12,747 participants of the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study, born 1934–1944, 1719 were recorded as separated temporarily from their parents in childhood. The separations took place during World War II when Finnish children were voluntarily evacuated unaccompanied by their parents to temporary foster care abroad (mean age at and length of separation 4.6 and 1.7 years, respectively). Severe mental disorders were identified from the Finnish Hospital Discharge and Causes of Death Registers between years 1969 and 2004. Compared to the non-separated, the separated had higher risks of mental, substance use and personality disorder (P-values ? 0.05). The risk of any mental and substance use disorder was, however, highest in the separated and lowest in the non-separated with an upper childhood socioeconomic background; individuals with a lower childhood socioeconomic background showed an intermediate risk regardless of their separation status (P-values for interactions ?0.05). Temporary separation from parents poses a risk of severe mental disorders later in life. Children with an upper childhood socioeconomic background may be particularly sensitive to this type of early life stress, while for children with a lower childhood socioeconomic background it may not add to the risk already associated with lower socioeconomic position in childhood.

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Published date: March 2011
Keywords: childhood, lifespan, mental disorders, prospective, stress

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 175927
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/175927
ISSN: 0022-3956
PURE UUID: 93fd17ac-0239-430b-8e20-d4292786e4dc
ORCID for Clive Osmond: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-9054-4655

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Date deposited: 01 Mar 2011 14:55
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:38

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Contributors

Author: Katri Räikkönen
Author: Marius Lahti
Author: Kati Heinonen
Author: Anu-Katriina Pesonen
Author: Kristian Wahlbeck
Author: Eero Kajantie
Author: Clive Osmond ORCID iD
Author: David J.P. Barker
Author: Johan G. Eriksson

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