Early Life Stress and Physical and Psychosocial Functioning in Late Adulthood

Hanna Alastalo,Anu-Katriina Pesonen,David J P Barker,Katri Räikkönen,Clive Osmond,Mikaela B Von Bonsdorff,Johan G Eriksson,Kati Heinonen,Eero Kajantie,D William Cameron

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069011

Abstract

BackgroundSevere stress experienced in early life may have long-term effects on adult physiological and psychological health and well-being. We studied physical and psychosocial functioning in late adulthood in subjects separated temporarily from their parents in childhood during World War II.MethodsThe 1803 participants belong to the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study, born 1934–44. Of them, 267 (14.8%) had been evacuated abroad in childhood during WWII and the remaining subjects served as controls. Physical and psychosocial functioning was assessed with the Short Form 36 scale (SF-36) between 2001 and 2004. A test for trends was based on linear regression. All analyses were adjusted for age at clinical examination, social class in childhood and adulthood, smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity, body mass index, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.ResultsPhysical functioning in late adulthood was lower among the separated men compared to non-separated men (b = −0.40, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: −0.71 to −0.08). Those men separated in school age (>7 years) and who were separated for a duration over 2 years had the highest risk for lower physical functioning (b = −0.89, 95% CI: −1.58 to −0.20) and (b = −0.65, 95% CI: −1.25 to −0.05), respectively). Men separated for a duration over 2 years also had lower psychosocial functioning (b = −0.70, 95% CI: −1.35 to −0.06). These differences in physical and psychosocial functioning were not observed among women.ConclusionEarly life stress may increase the risk for impaired physical functioning in late adulthood among men. Timing and duration of the separation influenced the physical and psychosocial functioning in late adulthood.

Highlights

Physical and mental health varies individually through the life course and decreases with age, which might cause decline in physical functioning and well-being later in life [1]
We have shown in our previous reports based on findings from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study (HBCS) that the effect of war-time separation experience during childhood increased the risk for health problems later in life including hypertension, coronary heart disease (CHD) and type 2 diabetes [17,18,19], as well as depressive symptoms and hospitalisation for mental disorders [20,21]
The current study investigates the differences in physical and psychosocial functioning in late adulthood according to war-time separation status as an indicator of stress experienced in early life

Summary

Introduction

Physical and mental health varies individually through the life course and decreases with age, which might cause decline in physical functioning and well-being later in life [1]. Studies suggest that traumatic experiences in childhood such as childhood abuse, neglect, maltreatment and parental separation cause early life stress (ELS) and might serve as antecedents of health decline throughout the lifespan [4,5]. Low childhood socioeconomic circumstances have been associated with poor general health and physical function in later life [6,7,8,9,10]. A growing number of retrospective studies have reported that physical health and mental well-being in adulthood and at old age might stem from nonoptimal growth and exceptional conditions during sensitive periods of growth and development early in life [4,11,12,13,14,15,16].

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