Journal of Affective Disorders
Volume 249, 2019, Pages 294-300

Parental immigration and offspring post-traumatic stress disorder: A nationwide population-based register study (Article)

Silwal S.* , Lehti V. , Chudal R. , Suominen A. , Lien L. , Sourander A.
  • a Deparment of Child Psychiatry, Research Centre for Child Psychiatry, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 3 / Teutori (3. floor), Turku, 20014, Finland
  • b Deparment of Child Psychiatry, Research Centre for Child Psychiatry, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 3 / Teutori (3. floor), Turku, 20014, Finland, Department of Psychiatry, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland, Mental Health Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
  • c Deparment of Child Psychiatry, Research Centre for Child Psychiatry, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 3 / Teutori (3. floor), Turku, 20014, Finland
  • d Deparment of Child Psychiatry, Research Centre for Child Psychiatry, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 3 / Teutori (3. floor), Turku, 20014, Finland
  • e Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Concurrent Substance Abuse and Mental Health Disorders, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Brumunddal, Norway, Department of Public Health, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Elverum, Norway
  • f Deparment of Child Psychiatry, Research Centre for Child Psychiatry, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 3 / Teutori (3. floor), Turku, 20014, Finland, Department of Child Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between parental immigration status and a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in their offspring. Methods: This nested matched case-control study was based on a Finnish national birth cohort for 1987–2010 and cases were diagnosed with PTSD by 2012 from the Care Register for Health Care. We identified 3639 cases and 14,434 controls individually matched for gender, place and date of birth (±30 days). Conditional logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between parental immigration status, parents’ region of birth and time since paternal immigration, and PTSD after controlling for confounding factors. Results: The likelihood of being diagnosed with PTSD was significantly increased among children with an immigrant father (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.3 - 2.4) than those with two Finnish parents and one immigrant mother. There was no significant association between having an immigrant mother or two immigrant parents and receiving a diagnosis of PTSD. The likelihood of being diagnosed with PTSD was increased if the children's fathers had migrated less than five years before their birth (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.03 - 1.9) and if their immigrant fathers had been born in North Africa or the Middle East (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.4 - 3.3). Limitations: The sample included a heterogeneous migrant group without information on the reason for migration. The cases were identified from hospital diagnosis that may have only included severe cases. Conclusion: The increased likelihood of a diagnosis of PTSD underlines the need for psychosocial services among second-generation immigrants. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.

Author Keywords

Post-traumatic stress disorder immigrants parents Risk factor Epidemiology

Index Keywords

immigrant association Finland progeny Registries Maternal Age register human immigration middle aged Middle East controlled study priority journal ethnology Fathers mental disease marriage social status migrant psychology Humans Adolescent parent male Emigrants and Immigrants female Africa Mothers paternal age population research Article father mother Africa, Northern migration adult posttraumatic stress disorder major clinical study North Africa Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic Emigration and Immigration case control study Finn (citizen) Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85061716966&doi=10.1016%2fj.jad.2019.02.002&partnerID=40&md5=a317e29c289173f92bb4d49b53a10905
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2019.02.002
ISSN: 01650327
Original Language: English