Adolescent peer struggles predict accelerated epigenetic aging in midlife

This study examined struggles to establish autonomy and relatedness with peers in adolescence and early adulthood as predictors of advanced epigenetic aging assessed at age 30. Participants ( = 154; 67 male and 87 female) were observed repeatedly, along with close friends and romantic partners, from...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Development and psychopathology 2023-05, Vol.35 (2), p.912-925
Main Authors: Allen, Joseph P, Danoff, Joshua S, Costello, Meghan A, Loeb, Emily L, Davis, Alida A, Hunt, Gabrielle L, Gregory, Simon G, Giamberardino, Stephanie N, Connelly, Jessica J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescent Behavior
Adolescents
Adult
Adults
Age
Aging
Autonomy
Child development
Cigarette smoking
Disease
DNA methylation
Epigenesis, Genetic
Epigenetics
Female
Friends
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Male
Mortality
Peer Group
Peers
Physiology
Social integration
Threats
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This study examined struggles to establish autonomy and relatedness with peers in adolescence and early adulthood as predictors of advanced epigenetic aging assessed at age 30. Participants ( = 154; 67 male and 87 female) were observed repeatedly, along with close friends and romantic partners, from ages 13 through 29. Observed difficulty establishing close friendships characterized by mutual autonomy and relatedness from ages 13 to 18, an interview-assessed attachment state of mind lacking autonomy and valuing of attachment at 24, and self-reported difficulties in social integration across adolescence and adulthood were all linked to greater epigenetic age at 30, after accounting for chronological age, gender, race, and income. Analyses assessing the unique and combined effects of these factors, along with lifetime history of cigarette smoking, indicated that each of these factors, except for adult social integration, contributed uniquely to explaining epigenetic age acceleration. Results are interpreted as evidence that the adolescent preoccupation with peer relationships may be highly functional given the relevance of such relationships to long-term physical outcomes.
ISSN:0954-5794
1469-2198
DOI:10.1017/S0954579422000153