Social, Familial and Psychological Risk Factors for Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic Disorders in Childhood and Early Adulthood: a Birth Cohort Study Using the Danish Registry System

Abstract

Research studies have identified associations between a range of social, familial and psychological risk factor andphysicalhealth.However,therearemanymethodological limitationsinsuchstudies(e.g.self-reportedhealthstatus,retrospectiverecallofadverse events,andlack ofcontrolforpossible heritability effects). The current study seeks to assess the effect of a range of social and psychosocial risk factors on a diagnosis ofanyendocrine,nutritional,andmetabolic(ENM) disorders (ICD-10 E00-99) using linked Danish registry data fromalargebirthcohort.Datalinkage.Anationalbirthcohortof theDanishpopulationbornin1984wasusedinthecurrentstudy (n = 54,458). Psychosocial risk factors including parental history of diagnosis of an ENM disorder, advanced parental age, gender, urban dwelling, economic deprivation, family dissolutionandchildhoodadversity(childincare)wereusedtopredictanyENMdiagnosis.Bivariateassociationsshowedthatall variables,exceptadvancedpaternalage,weresignificantlyassociatedwithENMdiagnosis.Whenthevariableswereentered into a multivariate binary logistic regression analysis childhood adversity (child in care) was the strongest predictor of diagnosis (OR = 2.36) followed by maternal diagnosis of an endocrine disorder (OR = 1.74) and advanced maternal age (OR = 1.69). Results suggest that childhood adversity is the dominant factor in the prediction of an ENM diagnosis. The currentstudyextendstheliteratureconductedonadultpopulationsbydemonstratingthatearlyadverseexperiencesareassociatedwithpoororpoorerhealthoutcomesinyoungadulthood.

Dissociation fully mediates the relationship between childhood sexual and emotional abuse and DSM-5 PTSD in a sample of treatment-seeking adults

“…Childhood adversity is a consistent predictor of negative adult physical and psychological health outcomes (Shevlin et al, 2017;Springer et al, 2003). The current study adds to the evidence by suggesting that adult negative physical and psychological health outcomes is insufficiently modelled if ascribed to childhood adversity alone, thus supporting precautions against overemphasising child maltreatment when investigating causes for mental and physical health problems in adulthood (Finkelhor, 2017;Mullen et al, 1996).…”

“…Child abuse and neglect are associated with multiple adverse physical and mental health outcomes: Externalizing behaviour and internalizing symptoms in childhood (Moylan et al, 2010), physical health problems in adulthood (Shevlin et al, 2017) as well as substance abuse disorders (Oshri et al, 2016) and mental health problems in adulthood (Infurna et al, 2016;Smolak & Murnen, 2002). One of the most common consequences of child abuse and neglect (hereafter referred to collectively as "childhood maltreatment") is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which has been reported in both clinical samples (McElroy et al, 2016) and community samples (Kessler, Sonnega, Bromet, Hughes & Nelson, 1995) following child maltreatment.…”