title: Childhood adversity and pubertal timing: understanding the origins of adulthood cardiovascular risk.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether greater childhood adversity relates to younger menarcheal age; whether younger menarcheal age relates to increased CVD risk; and whether greater childhood adversity relates to increased CVD risk, directly or indirectly (mediated by menarcheal age).
  
  
  METHODS
  Among 650 pre-menopausal women (ages 25-45; M=34.9[5.6]), SEM was performed to estimate relations between childhood adversity, menarcheal age, and CVD risk.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results supported a covariate-adjusted model (RMSEA=0.035; CFI=0.983) in which greater childhood adversity was related to younger menarcheal age (β=-.13, p<.01) and younger menarcheal age was related to greater CVD risk (β=-.18, p<.05). Direct and indirect effects of childhood adversity on CVD risk were non-significant. Re-evaluation of the same model with additional covariate-adjustment for adulthood body composition showed the relation between menarcheal age and CVD risk attenuated (β=-.03, p=.376).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cross-sectional evidence suggests family-related adversity experiences in childhood confer risk for earlier menarche which, in turn, relates to increased CVD risk in adulthood, possibly via post-pubertal body size.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. maria.bleil@ucsf.edu
authors: Maria E
authors: ME
authors: Bleil
authors: Nancy E
authors: NE
authors: Adler
authors: Bradley M
authors: BM
authors: Appelhans
authors: Steven E
authors: SE
authors: Gregorich
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Sternfeld
authors: Marcelle I
authors: MI
authors: Cedars
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse; D000367:Age Factors; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008572:Menarche / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011627:Puberty / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology