A lifespan approach to biological aging: Early adversity, past-year trauma, and telomere length in women

Adverse experiences over the lifespan can increase risk for poor health outcomes, likely operating in part through accelerated biological aging. From a life course perspective, the extent to which adverse experiences in adulthood predict biological aging will vary as a function of early life adversity, yet few studies have tested this. In this cross-sectional, pre-registered study, we examined associations of early life adversity and past-year potentially traumatic events and their interaction with telomere length in a sample of racially and ethnically diverse and predominantly low-income women ( n =127). We also tested hair cortisol as a potential pathway linking early life adversity and potentially traumatic events with telomere length. Women reported on experiences of early life adversity and the number and negative impact of past-year potentially traumatic events during interviews. Buccal cells and hair samples were collected to assess telomere length and cortisol, respectively. More negative impact of past-year potentially traumatic events was associated with shorter telomere length. However, the strength of this association was conditional on early life adversity and strongest at lower levels of early life adversity. Both greater early life adversity and more negative impact of potentially traumatic events were associated with higher hair cortisol, but hair cortisol was not associated with telomere length. Results suggest that early life adversity modifies the association between subsequent trauma and telomere length and advances understanding of how lifespan adversity shapes biological aging. These findings may inform future research to examine dynamic biological processes linking lifespan adverse experiences to health using longitudinal designs. • Tested links of lifespan adversity with telomere length and hair cortisol as a pathway. • Past-year potentially traumatic events were associated with shorter telomere length. • Early life adversity modified this association. • Early life adversity and past-year potentially traumatic events were associated with higher hair cortisol. • Hair cortisol was not associated with telomere length.