Stressful life events, parental psychosocial factors, and glycemic management in
            school‐aged
            children during the 1 year
            follow‐up
            of
            new‐onset
            type 1 diabetes

Background/Objective: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is among the most common chronic diseases in children/adolescents, and the incidence continues to rise worldwide. Different environmental factors have been evaluated in the etiology. In the present study, we investigated the role of attachment examining whether insecure attachment to carers or carers' own attachment insecurity was related to a higher risk of T1D in children.Methods: We included 101 children with T1D (mean age 11.8 years), 106 healthy controls (11.6 years), and one of their carers. We assessed children's attachment using the Child Attachment Interview and carers' attachment using the Relationship Structures Questionnaire. We constructed binary multinomial logistic regression models using attachment to mothers, carers' attachment representations, and stressful life-events as T1D predictors.Results: Higher carer attachment anxiety was associated with the child's T1D diagnosis (p < 0.05; R2 = 0.0613) while security of attachment to mothers showed no significant association. When mothers' education was included in the model, both attachment anxiety in higher educated mothers and stressful life events showed a significant association with the child's T1D (p < 0.001; R2 = 0.293).Conclusions: Our findings suggest that higher attachment-related anxiety in carers with high education and stressful life events are associated with T1D in children.

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Stressful life events are not associated with the development of dementia

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610213001804 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 147-154 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Anna Sundström ◽

Michael Rönnlund ◽

Rolf Adolfsson ◽

Lars-Göran Nilsson

Keyword(s):

Life Events ◽

Stressful Life Events ◽

Negative Life Events ◽

Emotional Adjustment ◽

Population Based ◽

Stressful Life ◽

Emotional Impact ◽

Population Based Study ◽

Positive Life Events

ABSTRACTBackground:The impact of stressful life events as a risk factor of dementia diseases is inconclusive. We sought to determine whether stressful negative life events are associated with incidental dementia in a population-based study with long-term follow-up. We also tested the hypothesis that the occurrence of positive life events could mitigate or overcome the possible adverse effects of negative life events on dementia conversion.Methods:The study involved 2,462 dementia-free participants aged 55 years and older. Information on life events was ascertained at baseline from a comprehensive Life Event Inventory, which included 56 questions about specific life events. For each life event, the emotional impact (both positive and negative) and emotional adjustment were asked for.Results:During follow-up, 423 participants developed dementia; of these, 240 developed Alzheimer's disease (AD). Cox regression analysis showed no association between the total number of negative life events and the incidence of dementia when adjusted solely for age and gender (hazard ratio = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.92–1.02), or with multiple adjustments for a range of covariates (hazard ratio = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.91–1.01). Similarly, neither emotional impact nor emotional adjustment to these life events was associated with incident dementia. A separate analysis of AD did not alter the results.Conclusions:The result of this population-based study finds no association between negative or positive life events and dementia. Accordingly, our results reject the hypothesis that stressful life events trigger the onset of dementia diseases.

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