The association between parental separation during childhood and obesity in adulthood: a Danish twin study

Petersen, Jan; Kyvik, Kirsten Ohm; Heitmann, Berit Lilienthal; Vámosi, Marianne

doi:10.1002/osp4.79

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…We include poverty in this list of adverse experiences as has been recently advocated 13 . Growing evidence indicates that adverse childhood experiences, such as maltreatment 14–16 , parental death or separation 17–19 , and poverty 20,21 , are important risk factors for later obesity. Childhood mental and substance use disorders are another common set of challenges that have been linked to obesity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood psychosocial challenges and risk for obesity in U.S. men and women

Wall

Mason

Li³

et al. 2019

Transl Psychiatry

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Childhood psychosocial challenges (i.e., adversities, mental and substance use disorders, social challenges) may relate to the onset of obesity and extreme obesity. Identifying the types of psychosocial challenges most strongly associated with obesity could advance etiologic understanding and help target prevention efforts. Using a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (N = 24,350), the present study evaluates relationships between childhood psychosocial challenges and development of obesity and extreme obesity. After mutually controlling, childhood poverty was a risk in men OR = 1.2 (1.0–1.4) and a significantly stronger one in women OR = 1.6 (1.4–1.8); maltreatment increased odds of obesity in both men and women OR = 1.3, 95% CI (1.1–1.4), and specifically increased odds of extreme obesity in women OR = 1.5 (1.3–1.9). Early childrearing (before age 18) was an independent risk factor in both men OR = 1.4 (1.0–1.9) and women OR = 1.3 (1.1–1.5); not finishing high school was the strongest childhood psychosocial challenge risk factor for extreme obesity in both men (OR = 1.6, 1.1–2.2) and women (OR = 2.0, 1.5–2.5). Psychiatric disorders (MDD, anxiety disorder, PTSD) before age 18 were not independently associated with adult obesity in men nor women, but substance use disorders (alcohol or drug) were inversely associated with adult obesity. Individuals who have experienced childhood adversities and social challenges are at increased risk for obesity. Previous findings also indicate that these individuals respond poorly to traditional weight management strategies. It is critical to identify the reasons for these elevated weight problems, and to develop interventions that are appropriately tailored to mitigate the obesity burden faced by this vulnerable population.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood psychosocial challenges and risk for obesity in U.S. men and women

Wall

Mason

Li³

et al. 2019

Transl Psychiatry

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“…early risk of the health consequences of obesity than other measures of obesity, such as waist circumference and BMI 25. Many studies have shown that obesity in adult age could be caused by various psychological risk factors during childhood, such as maltreatment, separation of parents or their death, and mental disorders, e.g., early onset major depressive syndrome, binge-eating disorders, and tobacco use [26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]. …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Association Between Abnormal Eating Behaviors, Body Mass Index, and Waist-to-Height Ratio Among University Students in Malaysia

Abdalla¹,

Alsaidi²,

Azman³

et al. 2020

US Endocrinology

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“…Participants who reported contact disruption with parents were also asked about the severity of the disruption. These items were adapted from Petersen et al (2016).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental separation or divorce and adulthood attachment: The mediating role of the Abandonment schema

D'Rozario

Pilkington

2021

Clin Psychology and Psychoth

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This study investigated whether the Abandonment schema mediates the relationship between a history of parental separation or divorce and attachment styles in adulthood. Participants (N = 426; M age = 30.78 years) completed online measures, using Qualtrics. Results demonstrated that a history of parental separation or divorce was positively associated with anxious and avoidant attachment styles in adulthood.Mediation analyses revealed that the Abandonment schema mediated these relationships (p < 0.001). This suggests that adults with a history of parental divorce or separation are more likely to report anxious and avoidant attachment styles, and this is partially accounted for by an expectation that they will be abandoned by others.These findings have implications for case formulation and can be used to inform treatment. Schema therapy focused on healing the Abandonment schema could promote attachment security in individuals with a history of parental separation or divorce. For example, limited reparenting (i.e., the therapist seeking to meet the client's unmet emotional needs, within the professional boundaries of the relationship), could be tailored to address the individual's underlying unmet need for security and stability. Further research is needed to advance our understanding of the implications of these findings for treatment.

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The association between parental separation during childhood and obesity in adulthood: a Danish twin study

Cited by 4 publications

References 31 publications

Childhood psychosocial challenges and risk for obesity in U.S. men and women

Childhood psychosocial challenges and risk for obesity in U.S. men and women

The Association Between Abnormal Eating Behaviors, Body Mass Index, and Waist-to-Height Ratio Among University Students in Malaysia

Parental separation or divorce and adulthood attachment: The mediating role of the Abandonment schema

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