Multigenerational health-related turning points and impact on health and social outcomes: A systematic review.

Introduction: Some individuals over their life course will experience significant health-related events, such as a physical or mental illness, that can alter their life pathways or trajectories, known as "turning-point" events. This systematic review aimed to synthesize the evidence from population-based data collections for: (a) parent health-related turning point events and the impact of these events on offspring health and social outcomes; and (b) offspring health-related turning point events and the impact of these events on parent health and social outcomes.

Method: A review of four databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus) from January 1, 2010 to February 23, 2023 was conducted. Abstracts and full-text articles were screened by four reviewers and critically appraised.

Results: Of 114 articles, 98 (86%) examined the effect of a parental health-related turning point on offspring, 11 (10%) examined the effect of an offspring turning point on parents, and five (4%) investigated bidirectional impacts of a turning point event. For parents and offspring, mental health disorders (50%), physical health (26%), and death (24%) were common turning point events examined. For parents and offspring, common health outcomes included mental disorders (n = 50), physical health (n = 11), substance use (n = 9), and death (n = 7), and common social outcomes included educational performance (n = 14), employment or income level (n = 7), and involvement of child protective services (n = 5).

Discussion: The ability to disentangle relationships between turning point events and adverse health and social outcomes is required, as is the development of strategies to disrupt intergenerational disadvantage. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).