Childhood Maltreatment and Telomere Shortening: Preliminary Support for an Effect of Early Stress on Cellular Aging

• Published in: Biological psychiatry (1969) Vol. 67; no. 6; pp. 531 - 534
• Main Authors: Tyrka, Audrey R., Price, Lawrence H., Kao, Hung-Teh, Porton, Barbara, Marsella, Sarah A., Carpenter, Linda L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 15.03.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Biological and medical sciences; Body Mass Index; Cellular Senescence - genetics; Child; Child abuse; Child Abuse - psychology; Female; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Sex Factors; Smoking; stress; Stress, Psychological - genetics; Surveys and Questionnaires; Telomere; telomeres; Victimology; Young Adult; stress; Child abuse; telomeres; Early; Senescence; Victimology; Stress

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 wi...