Emotionally neglected children appear to have a higher risk of stroke in adulthood, according to a study.
"Studies have shown that children who were neglected emotionally in childhood are at an increased risk of a slew of psychiatric disorders," Robert S. Wilson, PhD, a study author from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, said in a news release. "However, our study is one of few that look at an association between emotional neglect and stroke."
Researchers defined emotional neglect as failing to provide for a child’s needs emotionally. They surveyed 1,040 participants, ages 55 and older, to measure physical and emotional abuse before age 18.
Questions focused on whether the participant felt loved by their caregiver, were made to feel afraid or intimidated and were punished with a belt or other object. Questions about divorce and financial need also were included.
Over 3.5 years, 257 study participants died, with 192 deceased participants undergoing a brain autopsy to look for signs of stroke. The researchers found that the risk of stroke was nearly triple in those who reported a moderately high level of childhood emotional neglect compared with those who reported a moderately low level. The results stayed the same after considering factors such as diabetes, physical activity, smoking, anxiety and heart problems.
"Interestingly, the autopsy showed emotional neglect was associated with the presence of cerebral infarctions," said David A. Bennett, MD, director of the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center and a co-author of the study. "The results add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that early-life factors such as traumatic childhood experiences influence the development of physical illness and common chronic conditions of old age."
Wilson noted that a limitation of the study is that neglect was reported from memory many years after occurrence, meaning participants may not have remembered events accurately.
The study ran Sept. 19 on the website of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study abstract is available at www.neurology.org/content/early/2012/09/19/WNL.0b013e31826e25bd.abstract.
"Studies have shown that children who were neglected emotionally in childhood are at an increased risk of a slew of psychiatric disorders," Robert S. Wilson, PhD, a study author from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, said in a news release. "However, our study is one of few that look at an association between emotional neglect and stroke."
Researchers defined emotional neglect as failing to provide for a child’s needs emotionally. They surveyed 1,040 participants, ages 55 and older, to measure physical and emotional abuse before age 18.
Questions focused on whether the participant felt loved by their caregiver, were made to feel afraid or intimidated and were punished with a belt or other object. Questions about divorce and financial need also were included.
Over 3.5 years, 257 study participants died, with 192 deceased participants undergoing a brain autopsy to look for signs of stroke. The researchers found that the risk of stroke was nearly triple in those who reported a moderately high level of childhood emotional neglect compared with those who reported a moderately low level. The results stayed the same after considering factors such as diabetes, physical activity, smoking, anxiety and heart problems.
"Interestingly, the autopsy showed emotional neglect was associated with the presence of cerebral infarctions," said David A. Bennett, MD, director of the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center and a co-author of the study. "The results add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that early-life factors such as traumatic childhood experiences influence the development of physical illness and common chronic conditions of old age."
Wilson noted that a limitation of the study is that neglect was reported from memory many years after occurrence, meaning participants may not have remembered events accurately.
The study ran Sept. 19 on the website of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study abstract is available at www.neurology.org/content/early/2012/09/19/WNL.0b013e31826e25bd.abstract.
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