Recently published findings (Psychology Bulletin) by researchers at Harvard University suggest that an adversity or trauma, abuse, experienced by a child results in accelerated puberty and health issues later in life.
Dr. Katie McLaughlin, co-author of the research and associate professor of psychology at Harvard, says “There are also clear practical implications for these findings. Exposure to adversity in childhood is a powerful predictor of health outcomes later in life — not only mental health outcomes like depression and anxiety but also physical health outcomes like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and increased risk of cancer.”
In comparison to deprivation, poverty, or emotional neglect, researchers found threat-related trauma produced a much stronger change in the body. “Psychosocial interventions that protect children from the harmful effects of such adversity might be able to slow this process of aging, but is a field that requires further research,” said McLaughlin.
