Key result
Childhood psychosocial adversity lacks consistent association with adult CVD risk, but parental death predicts higher SBP.
Why the study?
Studies assessing associations of childhood psychosocial adversity with adult cardiovascular disease risk factors are scarce.
Is childhood psychosocial adversity associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors in adulthood?
Cohort (n=2,230)
Yes
Is childhood psychosocial adversity associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors in adulthood?
Effect estimate: Beta 0.23 (95% CI 0.06 to 0.40)
p-value: p=0.01
Childhood psychosocial adversity does not appear to be consistently associated with adult cardiovascular disease risk factors, though parental death may be linked to higher systolic blood pressure.
Does not support incorporating childhood adversity into adult CVD risk assessment; leaves open targeted investigation of parental death.
BACKGROUND: Studies assessing associations of childhood psychosocial adversity (e.g. sexual abuse, physical neglect, parental death), as opposed to socioeconomic adversity, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in adulthood are scarce. We aimed to assess associations of various forms of psychosocial adversity and cumulative adversity in childhood, with multiple CVD risk factors in mid-life. METHODS: Participants were from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development. Childhood psychosocial risk factors were reported prospectively by parents from 1950-1957, and retrospectively by participants at mean age 43 years in 1989. CVD risk factors were assessed at mean age 60-64 years in 2006-2011. Associations of a summary score of total psychosocial adversity and CVD risk in adulthood were assessed. RESULTS: There was no consistent evidence that cumulative psychosocial adversity, nor any specific form of psychosocial adversity in childhood, was associated with CVD risk factors in late adulthood. There was some evidence that parental death in the first 15 years was associated with higher SBP (Beta: 0.23, 95% confidence interval: 0.06 to 0.40, P=0.01) and DBP (Beta: 0.15, 95% confidence interval: -0.01 to 0.32, P=0.07). CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence that exposure to greater psychosocial adversity, or specific forms of psychosocial adversity during childhood is associated with adult CVD risk factors. Further large population studies are needed to clarify whether parental death is associated with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
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Anderson et al. (2017) conducted a cohort in Cardiovascular disease risk factors (n=2,230). Psychosocial adversity in childhood vs. No or lower psychosocial adversity was evaluated on Systolic blood pressure (SBP) associated with parental death (Beta 0.23, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.40, p=0.01). Cumulative psychosocial adversity in childhood was not consistently associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors in late adulthood, although parental death was associated with higher systolic blood pressure.
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