Childhood divorce impacts health in adulthood

Parents who separate are always concerned about the psychological impact this event will have on their children. And many researchers have already tried to assess it. An astonishing new study has just appeared in the scientific journal “Psychoneuendocrinology” (1). Its authors found that adults who experienced their parents’ separation as children had a higher inflammation marker than those whose parents stayed together. This marker, CRP, was 16% higher at the age of 44. However, the C-reactive protein is a known risk factor for coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes. adulthood, comment the authors of this work. However, just because we have identified a relationship between parental divorce and inflammation, doesn’t necessarily mean there is a causal link. “

This association between parental separation and increased inflammation could be explained in several ways. According to the authors of this study, it is not the shock of a separation that is involved, but rather its consequences. Factors such as less favorable material conditions or the level of education could play a role. Indeed, children of separated parents who had performed well in school did not have a high CRP rate. However, their hypothesis is also that “the side effects of separation from their parents are so stressful for children and adolescents, that the pathways of stress and biological markers of stress training go as far as inflammation in old age.” adult. “

This study, funded by large British institutions such as the National Heart Institute or the Lung and Blood Institute, obviously does not allow practical conclusions to be drawn. The authors nevertheless believe that these results should encourage the public authorities to better identify and provide more support to families at risk following a separation.

(1)Parental separation in childhood and adult inflammation: The importance of material and psychosocial pathways, Psychoneuendocrinology