Childhood adversity increases risk of early death: Lancet

.5 times higher," Rod added.

The higher mortality rate mainly manifests itself in suicide and accidents, but the study also shows a higher risk of dying from cancer in this group.

According to the researchers, the results of the study stress the critical importance of broad structural public health initiatives to reduce stressful adversity in childhood.

For example, prevention of childhood poverty and other adversity in childhood. With time, it may help reduce social inequality in health.

In the study, social adversity is defined as financial poverty or long-term unemployment in the family, while stressful adversity includes death of a parent, divorce or alcohol/drug abuse among the parents.

The findings showed that 54 per cent of the children in group one experienced no or only very few isolated incidents of adversity in childhood.

In group two to four, 43 per cent of the children experienced isolated incidents of adversity in childhood, mainly related to poverty or illness in the family. Here the researchers found a mortality rate in early adulthood that is 1.3-1.8 times higher than in group one.

The study revealed that three per cent in group five experienced great social and stressful adversity throughout childhood. In this group, the mortality rate is 4.5 times higher than in group one.

According to the team, the study is the first of its kind on a global basis.

"The size of the study has made it possible for the researchers to study the associations between incidents of social and stressful adversity throughout childhood and how it affects mortality rates among young adults," the study authors wrote.

( With inputs from IANS )