In this 2013 longitudinal study, the researchers assessed the effects of violence exposure during childhood on telomere erosion in a cohort of young children. Telomere length (TL) is considered to be a predictor of lifetime expectancy.
The study assessed childhood adversity prospectively and measured TL at two time-points, at age-5 years and again at age-10 years. Domestic violence, frequent bullying victimization and physical maltreatment were examined. Based on evidence that the effects of stress are cumulative, the authors predicted that cumulative exposure to violence would be associated with accelerated TL erosion, already at a young age.
Read the full study here.
