A study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health found that children who have a parent with cancer do worse in school and have poorer socioeconomic status later in life. The associations appeared stronger with more severe cancer cases.
The register-linkage, prospective study included children born in Denmark between 1978 and 1999 and their parents (totaling more than 1.15 million Danish children and parents). Researchers used the Danish National Patient Registry to identify parental cancer occurring while the child was younger than 18 years. They used Statistics Denmark registers to determine final grade point average (GPA) in ninth grade, educational attainment, and disposable personal income at 30 years (n=360,054 children).
Parental #cancer linked to poorer #school #grades, educational attainment, and adult earning power, say experts in @JECH_BMJ https://t.co/Z25RGzECXS pic.twitter.com/1lfbAOFCpS
— BMJ (@bmj_company) August 20, 2018
Approximately one in 20 Danish children (4-5%) had at least one parent diagnosed with cancer. Children who had a parent with cancer achieved a slightly lower final GPA in ninth grade and had a higher risk of low educational attainment (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 1.20; 95% CI, 1.14-1.25) and attenuated income at 30 years (RRR=1.11; 95% CI, 1.06-1.16). Overall, the results suggested substantial deterioration in achievements in those whose parent had a severe cancer type (RRR=1.52; 95% CI, 1.39-1.66) or if the parent died of cancer (RRR=1.61; 95% CI, 1.49-1.75).
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