A new study suggests older adults whose parents divorced when they were young possess a significantly higher chance of a stroke later in life.
Researchers looked at the data from over 13,000 Americans and found individuals who experienced their parents divorcing as children are almost two-thirds more likely to have a stroke at some point in older age.
The study assessed data on individuals aged 65 and found a 60% increased chance of stroke for those whose parents divorced before they turned 18. The higher risk existed even when the researchers controlled for depression, diabetes, and social isolation, conditions known for increasing the chance of a stroke.
“It is extremely concerning that older adults who grew up in divorced families had 60% higher odds of stroke, even after excluding those who had been physically or sexually abused as children,” senior author Esme Fuller-Thomson said in a statement, per Forbes.
“The magnitude of the association between parental divorce and stroke was comparable to well-established risk factors for stroke such as male gender and having diabetes.”
Because the study was observational, it can only conclude there is a correlation between childhood experience of divorce and stroke. It cannot, however, assert that divorce causes strokes, nor can it offer an explanation as to why the linkage exists.
The latest finding is only the beginning of what will likely prompt further research. The study did not break down the data by the type of stroke, the exact age of the child when their parents divorced, blood pressure, cholesterol, or any number of other factors that could impact the results.
Every year, roughly 795,000 Americans suffer a stroke, with a fifth succumbing to the event. Those who survive often live with debilitating side effects that impact mobility and cognition.
Last year, The Dallas Express reported that lifestyle factors, like obesity and a lack of exercise, have pushed the risk of stroke higher in young adults. Individuals between the ages of 20 and 44 have seen a massive 44% jump in their risk of stroke over the past decade.