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Life and death in the family: Early parental death, parental remarriage, and offspring suicide risk in adulthood

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  • Hollingshaus, Michael S.
  • Smith, Ken R.

Abstract

Early-life parental death (PD) may increase suicide and other mortality risk in adulthood. The potential implications of subsequent remarriage of the widowed parent (RWP) for suicide have not been well examined. Data came from the Utah Population Database for birth cohorts between 1886 and 1960, yielding a sample of N = 663,729 individuals, including 4533 suicides. Cox models showed PD was associated with increased adult suicide risk before age 50, and with increased risk of cardiovascular disease deaths (CVD) for adults of all ages. For females, RWP attenuated the suicide relationship before age 50 (though not statistically significant), but significantly exacerbated it after age 50. RWP had no significant impact for males. Further, for females, PD's positive association with suicide was stronger than with CVD before age 50. These findings reinforce the importance of biological and social mechanisms in linking early-life stressors to adult mental and physical health.

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  • Hollingshaus, Michael S. & Smith, Ken R., 2015. "Life and death in the family: Early parental death, parental remarriage, and offspring suicide risk in adulthood," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 181-189.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:131:y:2015:i:c:p:181-189
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.02.008
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Smith, Ken R. & Mineau, Geraldine P. & Garibotti, Gilda & Kerber, Richard, 2009. "Effects of childhood and middle-adulthood family conditions on later-life mortality: Evidence from the Utah Population Database, 1850-2002," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(9), pages 1649-1658, May.
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    4. Justin T. Denney & Richard G. Rogers & Patrick M. Krueger & Tim Wadsworth, 2009. "Adult Suicide Mortality in the United States: Marital Status, Family Size, Socioeconomic Status, and Differences by Sex," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 90(5), pages 1167-1185, December.
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    2. Chinwah, Viviane & Nyame-Asiamah, Frank & Ekanem, Ignatius, 2020. "Risk factors affecting maternal health outcomes in Rivers State of Nigeria: Towards the PRISMA model," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    3. Karl Andriessen & Karolina Krysinska & Debra Rickwood & Jane Pirkis, 2020. "“It Changes Your Orbit”: The Impact of Suicide and Traumatic Death on Adolescents as Experienced by Adolescents and Parents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-18, December.
    4. Corinne Peek-Asa & Ling Zhang & Cara Hamann & Jonathan Davis & Laura Schwab-Reese, 2021. "Characteristics and Circumstances Associated with Work-Related Suicides from the National Violent Death Reporting System, 2013–2017," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-12, September.
    5. Berg, Mark T. & Simons, Ronald L. & Barr, Ashley & Beach, Steven R.H. & Philibert, Robert A., 2017. "Childhood/Adolescent stressors and allostatic load in adulthood: Support for a calibration model," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 130-139.

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