CHILDREN whose parents split up when they are young are more likely to become seriously ill in adulthood, a new Wales-wide study has found.
Research among 2,000 Welsh adults showed that stressed youngsters who undergo "adverse childhood experiences" (ACEs) are at greater risk of a range of long term health problems.
The splitting up of parents is regarded as one of the worst impacts on children's long term health, as are bullying and abuse.
Children who have been affected by four or more ACEs are twice as likely to visit a GP, three times as likely to go to A&E or spend a night in hospital, and four times as likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.
"Most of us have the odd shock in childhood and after that we relax and we're comforted by parents and our bodies develop at that lower, more relaxed level," said Professor Mark Bellis, director of policy and research at Public Health Wales, who carried out the research.
"But if you get constant exposure to adverse childhood experiences, your body develops at a higher state of tension - it is always looking out for more threats.
"That means as your body develops, it's used to being ready to be injured or hurt in some way and it wears out quicker.
"You're also more ill at ease, you may develop poorer metal health, you're more likely to use alcohol and drugs - and they increase your risks of ill health later in life.
"All that adds up to you developing poor health, earlier. The long term costs of leaving these things untreated are enormous.
"What we've got to focus on is instead of mending broken adults, we must build stronger children."
More than 2,000 adults in Wales were interviewed about their own childhood. Twenty per cent endured parental split-ups, 23 per cent suffered physical abuse, 17 per cent were subjected to verbal abuse, and 10 per cent suffered sexual abuse.
Other problems included mental illness, drink or drug abuse,  and domestic violence in the home.
The research suggests that children who experienced four or more ACEs - around 14 per cent - are three times more likely to get lung or heart disease later in life.
By the age of 49, a quarter of adults who endured ACEs as children were diagnosed with one or more chronic disease,  compared to only 6.9 per cent with no ACEs.
The study found that even babies in the womb can suffer from ACEs.