People who experience a serious psychological event during their first 14 years of life, such as the death of a loved one, may be more likely to go on to develop type 1 diabetes, the results of a new study indicate.

The exact cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown, but both genetic and environmental factors are thought to have key roles. Swedish researchers set out to examine whether psychological stress during childhood could be a risk factor for the condition.

They assessed data relating to almost 10,500 babies born in Sweden between October 1997 and September 1999, none of whom had type 1 diabetes at the beginning of the study.

Levels of psychological stress among families were investigated using questionnaires given to parents. These questionnaires looked for details on a range of issues including serious life events (SLEs), such as serious illness in the family, a death in the family and marriage breakdown.

The study found that ‘the experience of an SLE by the child, as well as by the parent at any time in childhood, was associated with a higher risk of a subsequent diagnosis of type 1 diabetes' in that child.

"In our study, the risk of a child being diagnosed with diabetes before 14 years of age was estimated to be three times higher if the child had experienced an SLE than if they had not," the researchers said.

They suggested that stressful events could place increased insulin demands on the body. However, they also acknowledged that stressful life events ‘cannot be avoided', therefore families should ensure they receive adequate support if something serious happens.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, Diabetologia.