Cited by 342Child Abuse and TraumaTelomeres, Telomerase, and SenescenceStress Responses and Cortisol

Childhood maltreatment and telomere shortening: preliminary support for an effect of early stress on cellular aging

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Tyrka, Audrey R., Price, Lawrence H., Kao, Hung-Teh, Porton, Barbara, Marsella, Sarah A., Carpenter, Linda L.·2010·Biological Psychiatry

Abstract

Background Psychological stress and trauma are risk factors for several medical and psychiatric illnesses. Recent studies have implicated advanced cellular aging as a potential mechanism of this association. Telomeres, DNA repeats that cap the ends of chromosomes and promote stability, shorten progressively with each cell division; their length is a marker of biological aging. Based on previous evidence linking psychosocial stress to shorter telomere length, this study was designed to evaluate the effect of childhood adversity on telomere length.Methods Thirty-one adults with no current or past major Axis I psychiatric disorder participated. Subjects reported on their history of childhood maltreatment and telomere length was measured from DNA extracted from frozen whole blood using quantitative polymerase chain reaction.Results Participants reporting a history of childhood maltreatment had significantly shorter telomeres than those who did not report a history of maltreatment. This finding was not due to effects of age, sex, smoking, body mass index, or other demographic factors. Analysis of subscales showed that both physical neglect and emotional neglect were significantly linked to telomere length.Conclusions These results extend previous reports linking shortened leukocyte telomere length and caregiver stress to more remote stressful experiences in childhood and suggest that childhood maltreatment could influence cellular aging.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.biopsych.2009.08.014

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Authors
Tyrka, A. R., Price, L. H., Kao, H.-T., Porton, B., Marsella, S. A., & Carpenter, L. L.
Affiliations
  • Brown University (US)
  • Butler Hospital (US)
Venue
Biological Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2010-03
Volume
67
Issue
6
Pages
531-534
ISSN
0006-3223 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1975594217
Cited by
342
References
41
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 34 · 2016: 27 · 2015: 39 · 2014: 29 · 2013: 26 · 2012: 28
FWCI
23.66
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Biological Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • U.S. Department of Defense
  • National Institute of Mental Health (1 K23 MH067947, R01 MH068767-01, R01 MH070898)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01 NS047209)
  • U.S. Department of the Interior
  • Medtronic
  • National Institutes of Health
  • UCB Pharma
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
Keywords
child abuse, telomere length, cellular aging, early life stress, physical neglect, emotional neglect, leukocyte telomeres, biological aging, caregiver stress, childhood adversity
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Child, Child Abuse, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Surveys and Questionnaires, Sex Factors, Smoking, Stress, Psychological, Body Mass Index, Telomere, Cellular Senescence, Young Adult

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