Impact of parental cancer on IQ, stress resilience, and physical fitness in young menShow others and affiliations
2018 (English)In: Clinical Epidemiology, E-ISSN 1179-1349, Vol. 10, p. 593-602Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Background: A parental cancer diagnosis is a stressful life event, potentially leading to increased risks of mental and physical problems among children. This study aimed to investigate the associations of parental cancer with IQ, stress resilience, and physical fitness of the affected men during early adulthood.
Materials and methods: In this Swedish population-based study, we included 465,249 men born during 1973-1983 who underwent the military conscription examination around the age of 18 years. We identified cancer diagnoses among the parents of these men from the Cancer Register. IQ, stress resilience, and physical fitness of the men were assessed at the time of conscription and categorized into three levels: low, moderate, and high (reference category). We used multinomial logistic regression to assess the studied associations. Results: Overall, parental cancer was associated with higher risks of low stress resilience (relative risk ratio [RRR]: 1.09 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04-1.15]) and low physical fitness (RRR: 1.12 [95% CI 1.05-1.19]). Stronger associations were observed for parental cancer with a poor expected prognosis (low stress resilience: RRR: 1.59 [95% CI 1.31-1.94]; low physical fitness: RRR: 1.45 [95% CI 1.14-1.85]) and for parental death after cancer diagnosis (low stress resilience: RRR: 1.29 [95% CI 1.16-1.43]; low physical fitness: RRR: 1.40 [95% CI 1.23-1.59]). Although there was no overall association between parental cancer and IQ, parental death after cancer diagnosis was associated with a higher risk of low IQ (RRR: 1.11 [95% CI 1.01-1.24]).
Conclusion: Parental cancer, particularly severe and fatal type, is associated with higher risks of low stress resilience and low physical fitness among men during early adulthood. Men who experienced parental death after cancer diagnosis also have a higher risk of low IQ.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
DOVE Medical Press Ltd. , 2018. Vol. 10, p. 593-602
Keywords [en]
child of impaired parents, cancer, intelligence, resilience, physical fitness
National Category
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-67276DOI: 10.2147/CLEP.S152210ISI: 000433262700001PubMedID: 29872348Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85047725065OAI: oai:DiVA.org:oru-67276DiVA, id: diva2:1218949
Funder
Forte, Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, 2012-0498Swedish Cancer Society, CAN 2014/417The Karolinska Institutet's Research Foundation
Note
Funding Agency:
China Scholarship Council 201206100002
2018-06-152018-06-152024-07-04Bibliographically approved