Children of divorced parents are at higher risk of having a stroke

The ripple effects of divorce extend far beyond the immediate emotional upheaval. A groundbreaking study has found that parental divorce during childhood can significantly increase the risk of stroke later in life.

This surprising connection persists even after accounting for well-known stroke risk factors, suggesting that early family disruption may have more profound health implications than previously thought.

Divorce linked to higher risk of stroke

The study, which analyzed survey data from more than 13,000 older Americans, found that one in nine people aged 65 and older who had experienced parental divorce had been diagnosed with a stroke.

In contrast, only one in 15 of those whose parents stayed together during childhood reported the same health problem.

Mary Kate Schilke, a university professor in the psychology department at Tyndale University, is the first author of the study.

“Our study indicates that even after accounting for most of the known risk factors associated with stroke – including smoking, physical inactivity, lower income and education, diabetes, depression and low social support – those whose parents had divorced still had a 61% greater chance of having a stroke,” Schilke noted.

The association between parental divorce and stroke was found to be as strong as two well-known stroke risk factors: diabetes and depression.

These findings align with research conducted nearly a decade ago, which also demonstrated a significant link between child parental divorce and increased risk of stroke in adulthood.

Parental Divorce and Stroke Connection

Although the study establishes a clear correlation between childhood parental divorce and stroke, researchers are still working to determine the underlying causes of this link.

Lead study author Esme Fuller-Thomson, a professor at the University of Toronto, acknowledged that more research is needed to understand the mechanisms at play.

“We need to shed light on the mechanisms that may contribute to this association,” she said. “While these types of survey-based studies cannot establish causality, we hope our consistent findings will inspire others to examine the topic.”

Other types of childhood adversity

To ensure that the results were not influenced by other adverse childhood experiences, the researchers carefully excluded participants who had a history of physical or sexual abuse.

Even after removing these cases, the link between parental divorce and stroke remained strong.

“We found that even when people had not experienced childhood physical and sexual abuse and had at least one adult who made them feel safe in their childhood home, they were still more likely to “have a stroke if their parents had divorced,” noted Co-Author Philip Baiden, associate professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Surprisingly, other types of childhood adversity—such as emotional abuse, neglect, exposure to household mental illness, substance abuse, and domestic violence—were not significantly associated with stroke risk in this study.

Role of biological and social factors

Although the study does not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship, researchers believe that biological and social factors may contribute to the increased risk of stroke among those who experienced parental divorce in childhood.

A possible explanation is linked to chronic stress and its long-term physiological effects. Fuller-Thomson highlighted how childhood parental divorce can lead to prolonged exposure to high levels of stress hormones.

“From a biological incorporation perspective, having your parents separate during childhood could lead to high levels of elevated stress hormones,” she explained. “Experience as a child could have lasting influences on the developing brain and a child’s ability to respond to stress.”

The stress associated with parental divorce can also contribute to unhealthy coping mechanisms and behavior patterns later in life.

People who experienced a childhood divorce may be more prone to chronic stress, which has been linked to increased inflammation, high blood pressure and other conditions that increase the risk of stroke.

Implications for stroke prevention

The study focused on data from the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. Researchers examined survey responses from 13,205 older Americans, 13.9% of whom experienced parental divorce during the childhood.

If this association is confirmed, childhood family history could become an important consideration in stroke prevention and health strategies. Schilke noted that these findings could eventually help health professionals tailor stroke prevention programs.

“If future research finds similar links between parental divorce and stroke, it is possible that the knowledge of whether their patient grew up in an intact family will be used by health care professionals to improve targeted outreach for stroke prevention and education,” Schilke said.

Although the study cannot definitively prove that parental divorce causes an increased risk of stroke, it raises important questions about how childhood experiences shape long-term health outcomes.

As research in this area continues, understanding the long-term health consequences of early life stress could lead to more effective interventions and support systems for individuals at higher risk.

The study is published in the journal Plos one.

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