Early-Life Adversity Due to Bereavement and Inflammatory Diseases in the Next Generation: A Population Study in Transgenerational Stress Exposure

Abstract

Emerging evidence suggests trauma experienced in childhood has negative transgenerational implications on offspring mental and physical health. The objective was to investigate whether early life adversity experienced as bereavement is associated with chronic inflammatory health in offspring. The study population included three generations of Swedish families with a base population of 453 516 children (G3) born 2001-2012. Exposure was defined as the middle generation (G2) experiencing bereavement in childhood due to death of a parent (G1). Outcomes in G3 included two diagnoses of inflammatory diseases including asthma, allergic diseases, eczema, and autoimmune diseases. Survival analysis was used to identify causal pathways including investigation of mediation by G2 mood disorders and socioeconomic status. Results found that early-life bereavement experienced by women was associated with early-onset offspring asthma (Hazard Ratio (HR) 1.15, 95%CI: 1.08,1.28) and mediation analysis revealed that 28-33% of the association may be mediated by socioeconomic status and 9-20% by mood disorders. Early-life bereavement experienced by men was associated with auto-immune diseases in offspring (HR 1.31, 95%CI 1.06,1.61) with no evidence of mediation. In conclusion, adversity experienced early in life may contribute to an increased risk for inflammatory diseases which is in part mediated by mood disorders and SES.

Parental socioeconomic status and asthma in children: Using a population‐based cohort and family design

“…For example, parental childhood SES has been shown to be associated with asthma control in offspring independent of current parental SES, and an association has been found between maternal bereavement in childhood and offspring asthma. 14,15 Establishing if the association is explained by unmeasured confounding or if there is a causal relationship between parental SES and asthma is of importance in implementation of asthma prevention strategies.…”

“…Though a recent Mendelian randomization study suggests that the relationship between education and asthma may be causal, 13 the association observed between parental SES and asthma could be due to unmeasured exposures shared within families (such as genes and family environment) influencing both SES and asthma (familial confounders). For example, parental childhood SES has been shown to be associated with asthma control in offspring independent of current parental SES, and an association has been found between maternal bereavement in childhood and offspring asthma 14,15 . Establishing if the association is explained by unmeasured confounding or if there is a causal relationship between parental SES and asthma is of importance in implementation of asthma prevention strategies.…”

Using Microbiome-Based Approaches to Deprogram Chronic Disorders and Extend the Healthspan following Adverse Childhood Experiences

“…Adult-onset asthma [65] Early life bereavement In Women Transgenerational early onset asthma [66] Adverse childhood event Insulin resistance; above average BMI.…”

Psychic Life-Biological Molecule Bidirectional Relationship: Pathways, Mechanisms, and Consequences for Medical and Psychological Sciences—A Narrative Review

“…Growing early life research confirms that stressful experiences in the first 1000 days can result in neurobiological, cognitive, and immunological alterations that can persist in adult life, increasing the risk of psychiatric (depression, anxiety, and psychosis) and immune disorders (asthma, allergy, inflammatory diseases, and susceptibility to viral infections and oncological diseases) [ 67 , 68 , 69 ]. Some recent research has pointed out the possibility of a transgenerational transmission of imbalances in the early stages of life [ 70 ]. Epigenetic mechanisms, which we describe below, have been suggested to explain the relationship between early childhood adversity and adult health and also the transgenerational transmission of risk factors.…”