The epigenetic impacts of pubertal acceleration following early caregiver disruptions.

ABSTRACT: A stable caregiving environment early in life is essential for children's development, and disruptions have the potential to impact biological processes. Using data from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, we examined a developmental cascade model in which shifts in pubertal tempo following early caregiving disruptions come at an epigenetic cost. Among 115 individuals, all of whom experienced severe deprivation early in life, we tracked caregiving disruptions across childhood; assessed pubertal timing and tempo across adolescence; and quantified the pace of cellular aging via telomere erosion across the second decade of life. We demonstrate that a greater number of caregiving disruptions is associated with delayed pubertal timing and an acceleration of pubertal tempo. In turn, accele

SUBMITTER: Jopling E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12260577 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature