title: Childhood Psychosocial Factors and Coronary Artery Calcification in Adulthood: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study.
abstract: There is increasing evidence supporting the importance of psychosocial factors in the pathophysiology of atherosclerotic disease. They have been shown to be associated with the population attributable risk for myocardial infarction.
  
  
  
  To determine if a score of favorable childhood psychosocial factors would be associated with decreased coronary artery calcification in adulthood.
  
  
  
  The analyses were performed in 2015 using data gathered in 1980 and 2008 within the longitudinal Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. The data source consisted of 311 individuals who had psychosocial factors measured at ages 12 years to 18 years and coronary artery calcification measured 28 years later in adulthood. The summary measure of psychosocial factors in childhood comprised measures of socioeconomic factors, emotional factors, parental health behaviors, stressful events, self-regulation of the child, and social adjustment of the child.
  
  
  
  Coronary artery calcification at ages 40 years to 46 years.
  
  
  
  Of the 311 participants, 48.2% were men. Of the participants, 55 (17.7%) had some calcium observed in their coronary arteries. A 1-SD increase in a favorable summary score of childhood psychological factors was associated with an adulthood coronary artery calcification probability of 0.85 (95% CI, 0.76-0.95) (P = .006). This inverse relationship remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, and conventional childhood risk factors (0.85; 95% CI, 0.74-0.97; P = .02) or for age, sex, adulthood conventional cardiovascular risk factors, socioeconomic status, social support, and depressive symptoms (0.83; 95% CI, 0.71-0.97; P = .02).
  
  
  
  In this longitudinal study, we observed an independent association between childhood psychosocial well-being and reduced coronary artery calcification in adulthood. A positive childhood psychosocial environment may decrease cardiovascular risk in adulthood and may represent a potentially modifiable risk determinant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland2Division of Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland3Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Juonala
authors.affiliation: Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland5Unit of Personality, Work and Health, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland6Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, University of He.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pulkki-Råback
authors.affiliation: Unit of Personality, Work and Health, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland7National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elovainio
authors.affiliation: Unit of Personality, Work and Health, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hakulinen
authors.affiliation: The Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland9Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia.
authors.forename: Costan G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Magnussen
authors.affiliation: Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia10Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Matthew A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sabin
authors.affiliation: Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia10Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia11Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Burgner
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Cardiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Hare
authors.affiliation: The Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Olli
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hartiala
authors.affiliation: The Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Heikki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ukkonen
authors.affiliation: Heart Center, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland13The Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Antti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saraste
authors.affiliation: Division of Imaging, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Sami
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kajander
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Tampere, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hutri-Kähönen
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Physiology, University of Tampere, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kähönen
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Tampere, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rinta-Kiikka
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Physiology, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Tomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Laitinen
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio and University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Sakari
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kainulainen
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland2Division of Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Jorma S A
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Viikari
authors.affiliation: The Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland21Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Olli T
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: Raitakari
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents; D012307:Risk Factors; D000068356:Self-Control; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012923:Social Class; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology; D061205:Vascular Calcification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*