Girl's growth stunted by parents' divorce

A young girl from China was left so traumatised after her parent's divorce that she stopped growing.

Xiao Li, from Shenyang, the capital city of the country's Liaoning Province, has not grown any taller in the last four years after the marital separation of her mum and dad left her depressed.

The 12-year-old girl stands at just 120 centimetres tall, which is considerable shorter than most other girls her age. It is not thought to be a genetic problem, however, as both her parents are normal heights.

According to medical professionals, the production of the growth hormone could be affected by depression, effectively slowing a person's development, The China Daily reports.

Doctors said that a healthy lifestyle which includes exercise and good regular sleep combined with a cheerful disposition should ensure that a child's body grows normally.

A recent study published in Clinical Endocrinology, the official clinical journal of the Society for Endocrinology (child growth), suggests that short people judge the state of their health to be significantly lower when compared to their peers who are of a normal height.

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