Parental imprisonment, childhood behavioral problems, and adolescent and young adult cardiometabolic risk: Results from a prospective Australian birth cohort study

Abstract

Objectives Recent studies have demonstrated that parental imprisonment (PI) is associated with cardiometabolic risk later in life. However, underlying risk factors for these associations have not previously been explored. The present study examines how early childhood behaviors and parental imprisonment may be associated with cardiometabolic risk in adulthood. Methods The study follows a subset of 7,223 live, singleton births from 1981–1984 in Brisbane, Australia where data was collected on parental imprisonment at ages 5 & 14 and behaviors from the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL) at age 5. Our sample examines 1884 males and 1758 females whose mothers completed prenatal, age 5, and age 14 interviews and respondents completed one or more interviews at ages 14, 21, and 30. Multivariate regression was used to examine cross-sectional results, while individual growth models examined longitudinal patterns. Results Dividing analysis by sex, we examined how parental imprisonment was potentially mediated or moderated by CBCL subscale measures for aggression, social-attention-thought disorders and general internalizing. No associations were found among male respondents. Among female respondents, controlling for these behaviors, there was a significant association between parental imprisonment and higher systolic blood pressure at age 30, while all CBCL measures were found to moderate waist circumference at age 30 and BMI at ages 14, 21, and 30. Using individual growth curve modelling, we observed the increased CBCL aggression and SAT scores were more strongly associated with higher BMI in adulthood. Conclusions Using prospective cohort data, our results suggest that PI and high levels of behavioral problems are associated with significantly increased cardiometabolic risk in women, with potentially increasing risk in adulthood.