Early life adversity, pubertal timing, and epigenetic age acceleration in adulthood.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Given associations linking early life adversity, pubertal timing, and biological aging, we examined the direct and indirect effects of early life trauma on adult biological aging (via age of menarche).

Methods

Participants were premenopausal women (N = 183). Path models evaluated whether early life trauma predicted early pubertal timing and thereby, adult epigenetic age acceleration (indexed via four epigenetic clocks: Horvath DNAm Age, Hannum DNAm Age, DNAm PhenoAge, and DNAm GrimAge). Secondary analyses explored the effects of type of trauma (abuse and neglect) and adult chronic stress status (caregiver of child with autism and non-caregiver).

Results

Early life trauma and earlier age at menarche independently predicted accelerated aging based on one of t

SUBMITTER: Hamlat EJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8271092 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature