Mortality after Parental Death in Childhood: A Nationwide Cohort Study from Three Nordic Countries

Li, Jiong; Vestergaard, Mogens; Cnattingius, Sven; Gissler, Mika; Bech, Bodil Hammer; Obel, Carsten; Olsen, Jørn

doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001679

Cited by 104 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Current findings suggest that this female advantage did not arise from subsequent resilience as there was no association with, nor difference in adult resilience between men and women who experienced early parental loss. Once more, in keeping with the findings of others, our results imply that individuals may bounce back from some adversity but that adaptation after losing such a key source of support, nurturing and economic stability early in life is not the norm ( Li et al, 2014 , Luecken and Roubinov, 2012 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Unanswered questions about what constitutes adversity, the nature of resilience, and social circumstances that foster bouncing back and thriving remain. For example, parental loss in childhood, although rarely included in studies of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) is emerging as a potent and sustained source of adversity ( Luecken and Roubinov, 2012 , Li et al, 2014 , Phillips and Carver, 2015 ). Because resilience is a dynamic attribute.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Life-course social and economic circumstances, gender, and resilience in older adults: The longitudinal International Mobility in Aging Study (IMIAS)

Phillips

Auais

Bélanger

et al. 2016

SSM - Population Health

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Although early socioeconomic adversity is associated with poorer function and health in adulthood, those who are able to adapt positively to such risks and threats develop a resilience that may ameliorate harm. Predictors of resilience have been examined in children, however exploring the relationship between life-course events, lived environments and current resilience among older adults across countries is novel. We specifically studied how childhood social and/or economic adversity and current socioeconomic resources were associated with resilience in 2000 community dwelling older men and women in Canada, Colombia, Brazil and Albania. The longitudinal International Mobility in Aging Study (IMIAS) collected information in 2012 and 2014 on childhood adversity, current income sufficiency social support and social engagement, and resilience (Wagnild Resilience Scale RS-14). Resilience levels were moderately high, and similar among women and men. Early social adversity predicted later resilience for some, with women but not men adapting positively. In contrast there was no bouncing back from early economic adversity. Current social engagement aligned with resilience (women only) as did social support from children (for women) and friends (for men). Partner support was of no advantage to either. Among men economic circumstances were stronger correlates of resilience while for women social circumstances were primary. The impact of site on resilience suggested that cultural norms and values have an independent effect on resilience of their populations, with strong and positive social ties more typical of Latin America than Canada appearing to offset lower absolute incomes. These findings are of importance because resilience is dynamic, can be fostered across the lifespan and is generally associated with greater health. Understanding which social assets and resources can be reinforced to build individual resilience offers a means for decreasing the harms of social and economic adversity.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life-course social and economic circumstances, gender, and resilience in older adults: The longitudinal International Mobility in Aging Study (IMIAS)

Phillips

Auais

Bélanger

et al. 2016

SSM - Population Health

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show abstract

“…Since nurturing by a caring adult is central to successful psychological and biochemical navigation of threats presented by adverse childhood experiences early parental death could pose a particular long-term risk to health [ 10 ]. Never the less, the loss of a parent during childhood has not previously been considered as a predictor of older adult self-rated health (SRH) [ 11 ]. Early parental loss has been shown to increase short-term vulnerability among children, and to predict poorer subsequent mental health and increased mortality in early adulthood [ 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Never the less, the loss of a parent during childhood has not previously been considered as a predictor of older adult self-rated health (SRH) [ 11 ]. Early parental loss has been shown to increase short-term vulnerability among children, and to predict poorer subsequent mental health and increased mortality in early adulthood [ 12 ]. However, among 18–65 year olds in the Netherlands death of a parent was the only early adversity of nine that were studied that did not decrease health-related quality of life [ 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Parental Loss and Self-Rated Health of Older Women and Men: A Population-Based, Multi-Country Study

Phillips

Carver

2015

PLoS ONE

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ObjectiveDeath of a parent in childhood can diminish both the nurturing that promotes healthy development, and household income. We consider, for the first time, whether this adverse childhood experience is associated with self-rated health decades later, among seniors and whether this lifelong effect is different for women and men.MethodsThe International Mobility in Aging (IMIAS) study is a prospective cohort with survey information and biophysical measures and markers from 2000 community-dwelling 65–74 year olds in Canada, Colombia, Brazil and Albania. We assessed the independent impact of death of a parent, early hunger, and witnessing violence, while controlling for current income sufficiency and other early adversities on self-rated health using baseline (2012) IMIAS data. Regressions grouping and then separating women and men were compared.ResultsApproximately 17% of the 1991 participants had experienced early parental loss. Overall 56% rated their health as good however parental loss predicted poorer adult health, as did early hunger but not witnessing violence. Disaggregated analyses revealed that the health consequences of parental loss were significant only among men (p = 0.000 versus p = 0.210 for women) whereas early hunger predicted poor self-rated health for both (p = 0.000).ConclusionParental loss should be considered as a potent adverse childhood experience with life-long consequences for health. The gender difference in its effect, speaks to unidentified and modifiable traits that appear to be more common among women and that may build resilience to long-term harms of early parental death.

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“…Yet, the problem is common. Even in developed countries, 2-5% of children suffer the death of one or more parents before they turn 16 (Parsons 2011;Li et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telling children their mother is seriously ill or dying: mapping French people's views

Sastre

Sorum

Mullet

2015

Child

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Mortality after Parental Death in Childhood: A Nationwide Cohort Study from Three Nordic Countries

Abstract: Jiong Li and colleagues examine mortality rates in children who lost a parent before 18 years old compared with those who did not using population-based data from Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary

Cited by 104 publications

References 44 publications

Life-course social and economic circumstances, gender, and resilience in older adults: The longitudinal International Mobility in Aging Study (IMIAS)

Life-course social and economic circumstances, gender, and resilience in older adults: The longitudinal International Mobility in Aging Study (IMIAS)

Early Parental Loss and Self-Rated Health of Older Women and Men: A Population-Based, Multi-Country Study

Telling children their mother is seriously ill or dying: mapping French people's views

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