Montgomery SM, Bartley MJ, Wilkinson RG. Family conflict and slow growth. Archives of the Diseases of Childhood 1997; 77: 326-30

This paper reported on a study of children born in Great Britain between March 3 and 9 th 1958, whose height at age 7 was measured, and also at age 33. Family conflict was assessed by a health visitor. Slow growth during childhood appears to be related to the stress of family conflict and is independent of socioeconomic circumstances. That is, while height was related to social class, the affect of family conflict diminished the gradient. The shortest seven year olds have experienced more psychosocial stress, and may have impaired psychological development. Slow growth in the young child may be a useful marker for psychosocial stress which may arise from family conflict and have lifetime consequences. [This suggests another way in which stress can influence health.]  

Abstract

AIMS: Having previously observed that slow growth in childhood is associated with subsequent labour market disadvantage, an attempt was made to determine whether family conflict is associated with slow growth to age 7 years, independently of material disadvantage. METHODS: A total of 6574 children born between 3 and 9 March 1958 who were members of the British National Child Development Study were used in these analyses. Slow growth at age 7 years was indicated by short stature defined as the lowest fifth of the height distribution. In multivariate analysis, adjustment was made for fully attained adult height as a measure of genetically predetermined height. RESULTS: A total of 31.1% of children who had experienced family conflict were of short stature compared with 20.2% of those who had not, representing relative odds of 1.79 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.39 to 2.30). After adjustment for social class, crowding, sex, and predetermined height, the relative odds were slightly reduced to 1.62 (95% CI 1.18 to 2.23). A total of 44.0% of children from the most crowded households were of short stature compared with 16.4% of those from the least crowded. The unadjusted relative odds were 3.99 (95% CI 2.94 to 5.41) and after adjustment for the potential confounding variables they were 3.07 (95% CI 2.08 to 4.51). Low social class was also a risk for short stature at age 7 years, but this was not statistically significant after adjustment for the other confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS: Family conflict during childhood was independently associated with slow growth to age 7 years.

Keywords

• family conflict
• health inequalities
• height
• material deprivation
• psychosocial factors
• relative deprivation
• risk factor
• socioeconomic status
• stress