title: Offspring of a parent with genetic disease: childhood experiences and adult psychological characteristics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate childhood experiences and psychological characteristics in offspring of a parent with genetic disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-report scales were used to assess adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), adult attachment style, mental health, and psychological symptomatology in offspring of a parent with a neurogenetic disorder (i.e. Huntington's Disease, HD; Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy, CADASIL; and Hereditary Cerebral Hemorrhage With Amyloidosis-Dutch type, HCHWA-D), and in offspring of a parent affected with Hereditary Breast/Ovarian Cancer (HBOC). These groups were compared to persons who did not have a parent with one of these genetic diseases. Associations between childhood experiences and adult psychological characteristics were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the reference group (n = 127), offspring of a parent with a neurogenetic disorder (n = 96) reported more parental dysfunction in childhood, and showed more adult attachment anxiety and poorer mental health. Offspring of a parent with HBOC (n = 70) reported more parental loss in childhood and showed poorer mental health. Offspring who experienced parental genetic disease in childhood had more attachment anxiety than offspring who experienced parental disease later in life. In the group of offspring, a higher number of ACEs was associated with poorer mental health and more psychological symptomatology.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This cross-sectional study indicates that adult offspring of a parent with genetic disease may differ in attachment style and mental health from persons without one of these genetic diseases in their family, and that this may be related to adverse childhood experiences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre.
authors.forename: Lucienne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: van der Meer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Centre.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: van Duijn
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Statistics, Leiden University Medical Centre.
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wolterbeek
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre.
authors.forename: Aad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tibben
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D032721:Adult Children / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D009769:Object Attachment; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D057566:Self Report; D055815:Young Adult