Mental disorder diagnoses of offspring affected by parental cancer before early adulthood: the 1987 Finnish Birth Cohort study

Abstract

The prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses in children with parental cancer does not seem to differ from those of children with parents without cancer. However, evidence was found that children affected by parental cancer are at increased risk for some specific psychiatric disorders. Quarter of affected offspring who were referred to specialized psychiatric outpatient care only received diagnoses related to use of health care services or crises or received no psychiatric diagnosis at all. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Parental hospital‐treated somatic illnesses and psychosis of the offspring—The Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 study

“…In their study, maternal small cell lung cancer was found to be positively related to the onset of schizophrenia in the offspring, but the finding was explained by parental smoking, a well‐recognized risk factor for mental health (Benros, Laursen, Dalton, Nordentoft, & Mortensen, ). Similarly, a nationwide Finnish birth cohort study did not find an association between parental cancer and psychosis in the offspring followed up to age 21 (Niemela et al, ). However, in a study with a rather small sample of adult patients with non‐affective psychosis (34 cases, 52 controls), a statistically significant association was observed between a parental history of type 2 diabetes and offspring psychosis (Fernandez‐Egea, Miller, Bernardo, Donner, & Kirkpatrick, ).…”

Primary school achievement and socioeconomic attainment in individuals affected by parental cancer in childhood or adolescence: a Danish nationwide register-based study

“…Children of parents with cancer have received growing attention within the field of paediatric research 9. Research suggests that children affected by parental cancer may experience problems in many domains, including emotional, social, cognitive, behavioural and physical functioning 4–8.…”

Psychiatric disorders among children of parents with cancer: A Swedish register‐based matched cohort study

“…Children of cancer patients have been reported to have psychological and psychosocial problems, such as anxiety, depressive symptoms, and low self‐esteem, often due to the perception of debility in the ill parent, the threat of losing a parent, and the alteration of daily activities . To date, most of the existing literature within this field is based on psychological symptoms assessed through interviews or parent‐/self‐reports, with few studies that explored specifically risks of clinically diagnosed psychiatric disorders . Two recent Nordic studies investigated whether parental cancer was associated with a higher risk of childhood psychiatric disorders, leading to inconsistent results .…”

“…[4][5][6][7] To date, most of the existing literature within this field is based on psychological symptoms assessed through interviews or parent-/self-reports, with few studies that explored specifically risks of clinically diagnosed psychiatric disorders. 5,8,9 Two recent Nordic studies investigated whether parental cancer was associated with a higher risk of childhood psychiatric disorders, leading to inconsistent results. 8,9 The population-based evidence for the impact of parental cancer on children's psychiatric outcomes in Sweden has rarely been published.…”

“…5,8,9 Two recent Nordic studies investigated whether parental cancer was associated with a higher risk of childhood psychiatric disorders, leading to inconsistent results. 8,9 The population-based evidence for the impact of parental cancer on children's psychiatric outcomes in Sweden has rarely been published. 10 Little effort has been made to separate the impact of parental cancer diagnosed during pregnancy from any parental cancer, when studying psychiatric disorders among children.…”