Better book a session with your therapist – another painful consequence of your parents’ divorce has emerged.
In the United States, almost half of all marriages end in divorce or separation. Research shows that children of divorce are more likely to suffer from depression, mistrust and low self-esteem, which can lead to problems in school and social isolation.
Now, a heartbreaking new study reports that children of divorce are 60 percent more likely to suffer a stroke at some point in their lives than those who did not experience the ordeal when they were children.
“The magnitude of the association between parental divorce and stroke was comparable to well-established risk factors for stroke, such as male gender and diabetes,” said the lead author of the study, Esme Fuller-Thomson, of the University of Toronto.
A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked or a ruptured blood vessel leaks blood into the brain. Strokes are a leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for 162,600 deaths in 2023.
Fuller-Thomson’s team evaluated data from 13,200 adults ages 65 and older with no history of childhood abuse. Seven percent of the group reported having had a stroke, and nearly 14 percent said their parents had divorced before reaching adulthood.
The study authors hypothesized that the higher risk of stroke could be due to chronic stress disrupting the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which controls the body’s response to stress. A dysregulated HPA axis is strongly linked to an elevated risk of stroke.
Another theory is that children of divorced parents are at increased risk of high blood pressure, sleep problems that persist into adulthood, and childhood poverty. All increase the risk of stroke.
The researchers said they controlled for known risk factors for stroke such as diabetes, depression and small social support networks, but did not have key data on blood pressure, cholesterol, use of contraceptives, the age at the time of parents’ divorce or the types of strokes they suffered. .
That was one of many limitations of the research, published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One.
Another reason was that the youngest participant was born in 1957, before the divorce revolution took hold in the 1960s and 1970s, following the widespread adoption of “no-fault divorce” laws in most countries. states.
“Due to changes in societal norms, it is unclear whether Generation X or Millennial Americans will experience a similar link between parental divorce and stroke as was evident in our sample of the cohorts of the baby boomers and the silent generation,” the researchers wrote.
The findings support a 2010 study by Fuller-Thomson that suggested that children of divorce are twice as likely to suffer a stroke in their lifetime as other children.
Other health effects
Aside from strokes, previous research has shown that children of divorced parents often experience health problems into adulthood.
Depression in adults, a weakened immune system making them more susceptible to colds as adults, and even premature death are some of these potential consequences.
The age at which the divorce occurred, the intensity of the conflict, and the level of parental support are among the factors that influence the severity of these long-term effects.
