Parental violence has increased the risk of heart issues in children as they grow up.

Scenes of physical violence between parents not only harm children's mental health but may also pose a long-term risk to their cardiovascular system. This correlation was identified by an international team of researchers from China, the United States, and Australia.

2024-12-24 10:01:56https://naked-science.ru/article/medicine/nasilie-mezhdu-roditelyam

Researchers have repeatedly identified a connection between adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and subsequent health issues in adulthood. Potentially traumatic situations include not only direct abuse of children but also indirect negative events within the family, such as parental conflicts involving physical violence.

Among the chronic diseases that may be influenced by ACE, previous studies have noted cancer, arthritis, migraines, depression, anxiety disorders, and more. However, the impact of parental disputes involving physical violence on the development of cardiovascular diseases in individuals with such childhood experiences has been studied to a lesser extent. This topic was addressed in a new paper by a group of Chinese, American, and Australian medical professionals. Their joint article was published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

The specialists analyzed data from participants in the long-term study China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), which is conducted in China and focuses on the health of individuals aged 45 and older.

The sample included over 10,000 men and women, with an average age of 58. They were observed for nine years—from 2011 to 2020. As part of the research project, they underwent medical examinations, surveys, and interviews every two years. Among other things, the researchers inquired whether participants had witnessed violence between their parents during childhood.

The questions were phrased as follows: “Did your father ever hit your mother? Or did your mother ever hit your father?” Response options included “never,” “not very often,” “sometimes,” and “often.”

This information was then compared with data on cardiovascular diseases (CVD) among participants, including heart attacks, angina, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and other conditions.

Overall, during the observation period, 2,415 cases of CVD were diagnosed among participants. After adjusting for confounding factors, the researchers used statistical analysis to establish that individuals who witnessed parental violence in childhood had a 36% higher risk of developing heart conditions later in life compared to those without such negative experiences. Specific episodes of violence correlated with a higher likelihood of heart problems in the grown children.

It was also found that those who observed physical aggression between their parents in childhood were more likely to experience symptoms of depression in adulthood. This contributed to the correlation with cardiovascular diseases, but only partially—by 11%.

The findings of the new study highlight the importance of addressing the issue of domestic violence and the need for prevention of intra-family conflicts, concluded the authors.