OBJECTIVE Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with mental and physical health risks that, through biological and psychosocial pathways, likely span generations. Within an individual, telomere length (TL), an established marker of cellular stress and aging, is associated with both ACE exposure and psychopathology, providing the basis for an emerging literature suggesting that TL is a biomarker of the health risks linked to early-life adversity both within and across generations. The authors tested the effect of maternal ACEs on both the trajectory of infant TL and infant social-emotional problems at 18 months of age. METHODS Pregnant women were recruited, and maternal scores on the Adverse Childhood Experience questionnaire were obtained, along with demographic and prenatal stress measures. Postnatal visits with 155 mother-infant dyads occurred when infants were 4, 12, and 18 months of age. At each visit, infant buccal swabs were collected for TL measurement, and mothers completed measures of maternal depression. Mothers also completed the Child Behavior Checklist at the 18-month visit. Mixed-effects modeling was used to test how maternal ACEs influenced infant TL trajectory. Linear regression was used to test the association between maternal ACEs and infant internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Finally, the interaction between telomere attrition from 4 to 18 months and maternal ACEs was examined as a predictor of infant scores on the Child Behavior Checklist. RESULTS Higher maternal ACEs were associated with shorter infant TL across infancy and higher infant externalizing behavioral problems at 18 months. No associations were found with internalizing behavioral problems. Telomere attrition from 4 to 18 months interacted with maternal ACEs to predict externalizing behaviors. In infants whose mothers reported higher scores on the Adverse Childhood Experience questionnaire, greater telomere attrition predicted higher externalizing problems, even when accounting for maternal postnatal depression and prenatal stress. CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate an interactive pathway between maternal early-life adversity and infant TL that predicts emerging behavioral problems in the next generations.

中文翻译：

---

童年不良经历：对后代端粒长度和精神病理学的影响。

目的儿童不良经历（ACEs）与心理和身体健康风险有关，这些风险通过生物学和心理社会途径可能跨越几代人。在个体中，端粒长度（TL）是细胞应激和衰老的既定标记，与ACE暴露和精神病理学相关，这为新兴文献提供了基础，表明TL是与早期生命相关的健康风险的生物标记。世代相传的逆境。作者测试了母亲ACE对18个月大的婴儿TL轨迹和婴儿社会情感问题的影响。方法招募了孕妇，并获得了《不良儿童时期经验》问卷中的母亲评分以及人口统计学和产前压力指标。婴儿分别为4、12和18个月大时，进行了155次母婴二联产后检查。每次访视时，收集婴儿口腔拭子以进行TL测量，而母亲则完成了母亲抑郁的测量。母亲们在为期18个月的访问中还填写了《儿童行为清单》。混合效应模型用于测试母体ACE如何影响婴儿TL轨迹。线性回归用于检验母亲ACE与婴儿内在化和外在化行为之间的关联。最后，在“儿童行为清单”上检查了4到18个月的端粒磨损与母体ACE之间的相互作用，作为婴儿得分的预测指标。结果较高的产妇ACE与18个月时跨婴儿期的婴儿TL较短和较高的婴儿外在行为问题相关。没有发现与内在的行为问题相关。4到18个月的端粒磨损与孕妇ACE相互作用以预测外在行为。在母亲的不良童年经历调查问卷中，婴儿的分数较高，即使考虑到母亲的产后抑郁和产前压力，端粒的减员也预示着较高的外部化问题。结论这些数据证明了孕产妇早期生活逆境与婴儿TL之间的相互作用途径，该途径预测了下一代的新出现的行为问题。即使考虑到母亲的产后抑郁和产前压力，端粒的损耗也越大，外在化问题就越严重。结论这些数据证明了孕产妇早期生活逆境与婴儿TL之间的相互作用途径，该途径预测了下一代的新出现的行为问题。即使考虑到母亲的产后抑郁和产前压力，端粒的损耗越大，预测的外在化问题也就越多。结论这些数据证明了孕产妇早期生活逆境与婴儿TL之间的相互作用途径，该途径预测了下一代的新出现的行为问题。