| Title: | Child maltreatment and telomere length in middle and older age: retrospective cohort study of 141 748 UK Biobank participants |
| Journal: | The British Journal of Psychiatry |
| Published: | 22 Mar 2023 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36946056/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2023.33 |
| URL: | ~Ehttps://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/77862B765562AAF10489F59DF1DB8B54/S0007125023000338a.pdf/div-class-title-child-maltreatment-and-telomere-length-in-middle-and-older-age-retrospective-cohort-study-of-141-748-uk-biobank-participants-div.pdf~ |
Publication 11231
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: There is evidence that child maltreatment is associated with shorter telomere length in early life.</p>
AIMS: This study aims to examine if child maltreatment is associated with telomere length in middle- and older-age adults.</p>
METHOD: This was a retrospective cohort study of 141 748 UK Biobank participants aged 37-73 years at recruitment. Leukocyte telomere length was measured with quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and log-transformed and scaled to have unit standard deviation. Child maltreatment was recalled by participants. Linear regression was used to analyse the association.</p>
RESULTS: After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, participants with three or more types of maltreatment presented with the shortest telomere lengths (β = -0.05, 95% CI -0.07 to -0.03; P < 0.0001), followed by those with two types of maltreatment (β = -0.02, 95% CI -0.04 to 0.00; P = 0.02), referent to those who had none. When adjusted for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, the telomere lengths of participants with three or more types of maltreatment were still shorter (β = -0.04, 95% CI -0.07 to -0.02; P = 0.0008). The telomere lengths of those with one type of maltreatment were not significantly different from those who had none. When mutually adjusted, physical abuse (β = -0.05, 95% CI -0.07 to -0.03; P < 0.0001) and sexual abuse (β = -0.02, 95% CI -0.04 to 0.00; P = 0.02) were independently associated with shorter telomere length.</p>
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed that child maltreatment is associated with shorter telomere length in middle- and older-aged adults, independent of sociodemographic and mental health factors.</p>
9 Authors
- Ziyi Zhou
- Camilla K. M. Lo
- Ko Ling Chan
- Rachel S. Y. Chung
- Jill P. Pell
- Helen Minnis
- Paul G. Shiels
- Patrick Ip
- Frederick K. Ho
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 7155 | Epidemiology of mental health, cognitive function, pain and cardiometabolic disease. |
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