Lifetime trauma exposure and accelerated epigenetic aging among midlife women.

Abstract

Trauma exposure may be linked to accelerated biological aging. However, studies have largely considered childhood abuse, with limited consideration of lifetime trauma exposure, particularly for women. Furthermore, few studies have considered newer epigenetic clocks, which have enhanced links with health outcomes. Among midlife women, we investigated whether lifetime trauma exposure is associated with older epigenetic age with several generations of clocks. We explored associations between childhood maltreatment and epigenetic age and racial differences in associations between trauma and epigenetic age.