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Does childhood trauma influence offspring's birth characteristics?

Denny Vågerö1, Kristiina Rajaleid1,2

  • 1Centre for Health Equity Studies, Stockholm University / Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

International Journal of Epidemiology
|May 7, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Childhood parental death in Sweden predicted lower birthweight and premature birth in offspring. This effect was linked to the parent

Area of Science:

  • Epigenetics and developmental biology
  • Human reproductive health
  • Transgenerational inheritance studies

Background:

  • A hypothesis suggests male-line transgenerational epigenetic effects triggered by childhood trauma.
  • Evidence for this hypothesis is limited, based on small epidemiological studies.
  • This study investigates the impact of childhood trauma on offspring birth outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between parental death during childhood and offspring birth size and prematurity risk.
  • To test the Pembrey-Bygren hypothesis regarding trauma during the slow growth period.
  • To determine if parental death during childhood perpetuates social inequalities in birth outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of nearly 800,000 offspring (G3) born in Sweden (1976-2002).
  • Inclusion of individuals with traceable parents (G2) and grandparents (G1).
  • Examination of G2 parental death during childhood as a trauma indicator, controlling for confounders.

Main Results:

  • Parental death during G2 childhood predicted G3 premature birth and lower birthweight.
  • The effect varied by G2 gender, G2 age at exposure, and G3 parity.
  • Offspring gender did not influence the observed response.

Conclusions:

  • Results support the hypothesis of trauma-induced transgenerational effects, particularly in males during their slow growth period.
  • Trauma timing in girls may involve different pathways.
  • Parental death during childhood did not significantly contribute to the intergenerational transmission of social inequalities in birth outcomes.
Abstract

Keywords:
Childhood traumaSwedenbirthweightinequalitiesparental lossprematurityslow growth periodtransgenerational response

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