Is exposure to family member incarceration during childhood linked to diabetes in adulthood? Findings from a representative community sample

Bradley A White; Keri J West; Esme Fuller-Thomson

doi:10.1177/2050312120905165

Is exposure to family member incarceration during childhood linked to diabetes in adulthood? Findings from a representative community sample

SAGE Open Med. 2020 Feb 5:8:2050312120905165. doi: 10.1177/2050312120905165. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Bradley A White¹, Keri J West², Esme Fuller-Thomson^{2

3

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Affiliations

¹ Center for Youth Development and Intervention, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA.
² Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
³ Institute for Life Course and Aging, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁴ Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Abstract

Objectives: Diabetes is a prevalent and serious public health problem, particularly among older adults. A robust literature has shown that adverse childhood experiences contribute to the development of health problems in later life, including diabetes. Family member incarceration during childhood is an under-investigated yet increasingly common adverse childhood experience in the United States. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between family member incarceration during childhood and diabetes in adulthood, while considering the role of gender as well as the impact of a range of potential confounds.

Methods: A large representative community sample of adults aged 40 and older (n = 8790 men, 14,255 women) was drawn from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2012 optional adverse childhood experiences module to investigate the association between family member incarceration during childhood and diabetes. For each gender, nine logistic regression analyses were conducted using distinct clusters of variables (e.g. socioeconomic status and health behaviors).

Results: Among males, the odds of diabetes among those exposed to family member incarceration during childhood ranged from 2.00 to 1.59. In the fully adjusted model, they had elevated odds of 1.64 (95% confidence interval = 1.27, 2.11). Among women, the odds of diabetes was much lower, hovering around 1.00.

Conclusion: Findings suggest that family member incarceration during childhood is associated with diabetes in men, even after adjusting for a wide range of potential risk factors (e.g. sociodemographics, health behaviors, healthcare access, and childhood risk factors). Future research should explore the mechanisms linking family member incarceration during childhood and long-term negative health outcomes in men.

Keywords: Diabetes; adverse childhood experiences; endocrinology; gender; incarceration; risk factors.