Examinations of 274 children and adolescents have uncovered a link between physical, emotional, or sexual abuse and faster biological aging, including pubertal development and cellular aging. Additionally, the researchers found that children exposed to other forms of early life adversity, such as neglect and food insecurity, showed signs of delayed pubertal development. Senior author Dr. Katie McLaughlin adds, “[The findings] demonstrate that different types of early-life adversity can have different consequences for children’s development.”

Biological Psychiatry, November 2018