
After the death of a parent, boys may have a tougher time than girls, a new study suggests. Young people who lose a parent before age 21 are at risk for poor mental health, lower income and unemployment in adulthood. Researchers say boys seem to be harder hit. The study was published July 25 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. “Early parental death is strongly associated with a higher risk of children’s poor mental health in adulthood for both males and females, but the estimated odds ratios are usually quantitatively larger for males,” the authors, led by Petri Böckerman of the University of Jyväskylä in Finland, said in a journal news release. Böckerman and his colleagues collected data on nearly 1 million Finns born between 1971 and 1986. By age 31, about 15% had lost a parent. Nearly 12% lost their father; fewer than 5% lost their mother. Nearly 65,800 people lost a parent before age 21. They had higher odds of a hospital admission for mental health issues than those who lost a parent after age 30, the researchers found. Males appeared to be more vulnerable than females. Men were 70% more likely to be hospitalized as were 52% of women. Substance use disorders and intentional self-harm were the most common reasons for admission. Boys and young men who lost their moms… read on > read on >