Long-Term Unemployment Is Associated with Short Telomeres in 31-Year-Old Men: An Observational Study in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966

Objective: Life stress resulting from early-life experiences and domestic stress is linked with shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL), but evidence on employment-related stress is scarce. We explored whether unemployment in early adulthood is associated with shorter LTL, a potential biomarker of p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLoS ONE
Main Authors: Ala-Mursula, L, Buxton, JL, Ek, E, Koiranen, M, Taanila, A, Blakemore, AIF, Jarvelin, M-R
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science 2013
Subjects:
Science & Technology
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Science & Technology - Other Topics
LIFE STRESS
FOLLOW-UP
LENGTH
WOMEN
DISEASE
HEALTH
EPIDEMIOLOGY
EMPLOYMENT
BIOMARKER
CANCER
Northern Finland
Online Access:http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000327313100074&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=f12c8c83318cf2733e615e54d9ed7ad5
http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/14653
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0080094
Description
Summary:Objective: Life stress resulting from early-life experiences and domestic stress is linked with shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL), but evidence on employment-related stress is scarce. We explored whether unemployment in early adulthood is associated with shorter LTL, a potential biomarker of premature aging. Methods: We used data from 5620 men and women belonging to the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. Individually registered unemployment days in 1995–97 were compared with data on biological, behavioral and socioeconomic health predictors and existing medical conditions obtained by surveys and clinical examinations at follow-up in 1997–98. Mean LTL at follow-up was measured by multiplex quantitative real-time PCR. We calculated odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) of belonging to the sex-stratified shortest decile of standardized relative mean LTL according to the categories of: 0, ,260, ,500 and over 500 unemployment days, representing 0, ,1, ,2 and over 2 calendar years.Results: Among men, unemployment exceeding 500 days during three years was associated with having shorter LTL at follow-up, compared to being continuously employed. The corresponding odds ratio was 2.61 (95% CI 1.16 to 5.85) in the fully adjusted model. Such an association was not found among women in this study. Conclusions: Long-term unemployment in early adulthood is associated with shorter LTL among men. Citation:

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