We’ve all heard that stress is unhealthy for mind and body, but many of us typically think of adults as bearing the brunt of stress and its negative health effects. New research suggests that children of divorce may also be susceptible to the health risks of stressful experiences – such as their parents’ divorce or separation. In fact, researchers at Linkoping University in Sweden now believe that children of divorce are three times more likely to develop type 1 diabetes than children who have not experienced this form of stress.
Children of Divorce at Higher Risk of Type 1 Diabetes: Study
The Swedish study looked at data from over 10,000 families with kids aged two to fourteen without a pre-existing condition. Parents were asked to fill out questionnaires regarding stress levels, parental conflict, social support, and serious events that have affected the family. The researchers examined the results to determine the impact of psychological factors on a child’s risk of diabetes. Of those involved in the study, 58 children went on to develop type 1 diabetes.
Among children of divorce, the study authors suggest that the anxiety caused by the divorce could increase beta cell stress due to stronger insulin resistance and insulin demands. This was caused by heightened levels of cortisol, also known as the stress hormone. The authors concluded that “the experience of a serious life event (reasonably indicating psychological stress) during the first 14 years of life may be a risk factor for developing type 1 diabetes.”
Although the specific causes of type 1 diabetes remain unknown, there are several factors that may contribute to a person’s risk of developing the disease. Genetic predisposition, dietary habits, viral infections, early weight gain, and chronic stress are all acknowledged as potential risk factors. Other high-stress scenarios that can contribute to a child’s heightened risk of type 1 diabetes include a death or serious illness in the family.
Most people who are diabetic have type 2 diabetes, which is linked to obesity, but the majority of children who have diabetes are afflicted with type 1. Because stressful events can never be avoided altogether, researchers assert that it is crucial for parents to provide the support necessary to help children of divorce cope with serious events and any resulting anxiety their children may experience.
Yes, stress put a negative impact on our body and become a leading cause of different health issues. Especially when we talk about children, yes there are several studies claims it can become the cause of type 1 diabetes in them. If your child has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, then as a parent your responsibility is to take special care for them. You have to change the lifestyle, frequent check and adjust blood glucose levels through FreeStyle Optium meter, decide the timing of meals, the types of food eaten and check out their physical activities.
I totally agree with you. My 9 yr old daughter was just diagnosed 3 weeks ago with Type 1 and she has an older brother that has crohns (6 years now). We are a divorced family and our struggles are with the ex-wife/mother. My new wife and I have totally overhauled our lifestyle to help my daughter understand and live a healthy lifestyle with this disease.
She knows what is going on and handles it well but truly hates what has happened to her. My wife and I struggle to keep food healthy and interesting for her and her brothers, but we live in a very small country cattle-driven town and the selection of healthy food is very slim. You wouldn’t think that being in a farming community but the only grocery store in town doesn’t bring in much of a selection of food. So we struggle feeding our daughter and kids healthy.
Her complaint is that she is bored with the food she has to eat all of the time. We continue to tell her we are all new at this and we are experimenting with whatever foods we can find that are healthy and good for her. While we struggle with that battle, my ex who lives 1.5 hours away from us in an even small town, has the mindset of let her eat what she wants and adjust the insulin…she’s only a kid. The one weekend my daughter spend with her mother, since being diagnosed, her blood sugar was double and the insulin dosage was more than twice of what we were doing at home and she was eating constantly through out the day/night. Her mom lets here eat whatever she wants.
Now my daughter is mad because she can not eat whatever because her mother allows her to eat whatever and whenever. Not only is there stress from that but her mother has put a halt on us (me, wife, 3 kids) from moving to another town in another state to be closer to a children’s hospital. Which greatly benefits my 2 children with diseases. The story of that was everyone was agreed to the move including the mother (she was going to move to the same city in May) but now because of an argument she has said no to the move. Unfortunately, we can not move because the courts stated that either parent has to agree to moving out of state/relocating.
So I agree that stress if a HUGE Factor of auto-immune diseases. But how do you handle the wrongful mental thinking of someone that continues to add stress to her children. I have no idea on how to handle this stress anymore. I use to live 6 hours away from my kids when they lived with their mother and saw how miserable they were having to commute for visitation and doctor appointments.
So 2 years ago, my wife and I packed up and moved to the closest town of civilization (at least we thought so at the time) so that the kids weren’t so far away. I am willing to do anything and everything for my children and their best interest. I put the kids in therapy over the summer with a visiting-therapist. But now that school is in session the therapist no longer comes to town and they have no one to talk to.
I know this is more venting about some of my issues and how it has affected my children, but there has to be some other types of help out there that can save my kids and others from today’s stress and the added stress of divorce.