The loss of a parent early …show more content…
By using observational and experimental methods we have evidence that variation in the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene changes a persons stress response to their environment (Losada, Wei, Aberg, Sjoholm, Lavebratt, Forsell, 2013, p. 216). Many studies have tested the hypothesis that variation in the 5-HTT is associated with depression given exposure to stressful events. The study done on the effect of the serotonin transporter showed “the occurrence of depression was 1.5 fold higher among those exposed to loss of any parent during childhood compared to that among those non-exposed to any loss (Losada, Wei, Aberg, Sjoholm, Lavebratt, Forsell, 2013). These findings are pretty significant on the effects of the loss of a parent and what it can do to a young child’s brain and the way that it works. We need to keep in mind the environmental factors as well when concluding evidence. Maybe the loss of a parent forces the child to move away from where they are used to disrupting their routines. If a child had friends where there parents lived and they were forced to move in with their grandparents after the death of their parent this could also put a lot of stress on the …show more content…
For example “Although free of any formal personal or family psychopathology, control subjects with a history of early parent loss reported lower incomes, had been divorced more frequently, were more likely to be living alone, were more likely to smoke or have smoked cigarettes, and had more physical illness” (Agid, Shapira, Zislin, Ritsner, Hanin, Murad, Troudart, Bloch, Heresco-Levy, Lerer, 1999). These findings give the suggestion that individuals who have experienced early parent loss are more likely to have features that could in effect cause them to be depressed. Findings like these should be studied further to see if the effects from these also can cause depression. Could it be possible that these people are going through these problems because of the depression they had from not having their parents when they were younger. These are all things that are still out there to be