Editorial: Transgenerational Effects of Parental Physical and Mental Illnesses on Their Young Offspring's Adjustment: A Psychosomatic Perspective

Children and adolescents of parents with a chronic illness are at increased risk of negative outcomes, including mental and physical health problems, poorer health-related quality of life, educational, and employment difficulties that persist well into adulthood (1–4). Parental chronic illness has wide-ranging impacts on several aspects of young offspring’s life such as emotional dysregulation, internalizing and externalizing problems as well as stress-related somatic disorders, and weakened immune responses (3–5). Compared to their peers with “healthy” parents, young offspring of parents with chronic illnesses often experience emotions of shame and guilt, isolation, stigma, and perception of lacking social support (6). Children of parents with a chronic illness also tend to assume responsibilities associated with caring for their parents and are referred to as young carers (7, 8). Not only parental illness itself but also the level of caregiving responsibilities, experiences, and tasks have been associated with poorer outcomes in offspring (9). Hence, research must target the welfare of young offspring of parents with chronic illness. The papers in this Research Topic examined several of these issues by drawing attention to a lack of research on the transgenerational impact of parental chronic illness on young offspring.