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Association between early parental deprivation and cellular immune function among adults in rural Fujian,China |
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| Authors: | Aki Yazawa Yosuke Inoue Guoxi Cai Raoping Tu Meng Huang Fei He Jie Chen Taro Yamamoto Chiho Watanabe |
| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Human Ecology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan;2. Department of Human Ecology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan Carolina Population Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA;3. Nagasaki Prefectural Institute of Environment and Public Health, Nagasaki, Japan Department of International Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan;4. Department of International Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan;5. Fujian Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Fuzhou, China;6. Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China;7. Department of Human Ecology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan National Institute for Environmental Studies, Ibaraki, Japan |
| Abstract: | This study investigated the role of childhood parental deprivation in the association between quality of life (QOL) and the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) antibody titer, a marker of cellular immune functioning, using data from 734 adults living in seven communities in rural Fujian, China. Parental deprivation was defined if either of their parents had died, divorced, or left them for migratory work for more than 1 year before they turned (a) 16 years of age (childhood and adolescence), or (b) 3 years of age (early childhood). A mixed-effects regression analysis with a random effects model revealed that parental deprivation during early childhood was positively associated with the EBV antibody titer (coefficient = 0.33, p = 0.007), whereas parental deprivation during the first 16 years was not. Further analysis incorporating an interaction term between QOL and parental deprivation revealed a significant interaction between QOL and parental deprivation during early childhood; a significant association between QOL and the EBV antibody titer was found only among those who reported parental deprivation during early childhood. This study suggests that parental deprivation during the period of immune system development may be linked with physiological responses to stressors later in life. |
| Keywords: | biomarkers China family relations immune system phenomena quality of life |