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. 2012 Mar 1;6(3):243-257.
doi: 10.1111/j.1751-9004.2011.00422.x. Epub 2012 Mar 2.

Pathways to lifespan health following childhood parental death

Linda J Luecken  1 , Danielle S Roubinov
Affiliations

Pathways to lifespan health following childhood parental death

Linda J Luecken et al. Soc Personal Psychol Compass. .

Abstract

The death of a parent is a profoundly stressful form of childhood adversity, increasing the short- and long-term risk of mental health problems. Emerging research suggests it may also disrupt biological regulatory systems and increase the risk of long-term physical health problems. This article presents a theoretical framework of the process by which the experience of parental death during childhood may influence mental and physical health outcomes over time. Drawing from a broad literature on adaptation following childhood parental loss, we focus on risk and protective factors in the childhood environment that are theoretically and empirically linked to emotional and biological regulatory responses to stress later in life, the effects of which may accumulate to impact long-term health.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Theoretical model of pathways linking childhood parental death to physical and mental health
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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