Men whose parents divorced when they were children are significantly more likely to suffer a stroke than those who don't come from broken homes, according to a new study by University of Toronto researchers.
The findings, reported in the International Journal of Stroke, indicate a man whose parents split up before his 18th birthday is three times more likely to suffer a stroke than men whose families remained intact. The researchers found no similar trend among women.
"The strong association we found for males between parental divorce and stroke is extremely concerning," said lead researcher Esme Fuller-Thomson. "It is particularly perplexing in light of the fact we excluded from our study individuals who had been exposed to any form of family violence or parental addictions.”
Researchers said they had expected to find people from broken homes might have a greater stroke risk tied to other factors, such as riskier health behaviors or lower socioeconomic status. But the association proved strong, regardless of age, race, income and education, adult health behaviors (smoking, exercise, obesity, and alcohol use) social support, mental health status and healthcare coverage.
Researchers said they suspect men’s regulation of cortisol, a hormone associated with stress, may be a factor in the connection.
"It is possible that exposure to the stress of parental divorce may have biological implications that change the way these boys react to stress for the rest of their lives" said Fuller-Thomson.
Stroke accounts for about 10 percent of deaths worldwide, making stroke the second leading cause of mortality.