Parental Alcohol Problems, Parental Divorce, and Type 2 Diabetes in Adulthood: A Longitudinal Prospective Cohort Study in Middle-Aged Men

Abstract

<b>Objective</b> <div>Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease and a serious global public health concern increasing both mortality and morbidity. Previous studies have found evidence for an association between early psychological stress and diabetes later in life. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Methods</b> </div><div>This study examined the association between parental alcohol problems and parental divorce and the incidence of type 2 diabetes in Finnish men aged 42 to 61 years (<i>n</i> = 754) in a prospective setting. Information on parental alcohol problems and parental divorce was derived from school records and subjective experiences of the same events from self-rated questionnaires. The average follow-up time for the participants until the first type 2 diabetes diagnosis was 23.3 years (25th-75th percentile, 21.2-27.9 years). </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Results</b> </div><div>Cox regression analyses revealed that parental alcohol problems (hazard ratio = 3.09, 95% confidence interval = 1.38-6.88) were associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes during the follow-up, even after adjustment for age, marital status, education, Human Population Laboratory Depression Scale scores, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. In a similar model, parental divorce (hazard ratio = 1.69, 95% confidence interval = 0.40-7.05) was not associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes during the follow-up. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Conclusions</b> </div><div>Our findings suggest that not all adverse childhood experiences contribute equally to the risk of type 2 diabetes. Parental alcohol problems, but not parental divorce, were associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in men. These findings highlight the need for early interventions targeting parents with excessive alcohol consumption to reduce their offspring's risk of life-style-related disorders.</div>