title: The association of telomere length with family violence and disruption.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To enhance the understanding of biological mechanisms connecting early adversity and negative health, we examine the association between family interpersonal violence and disruption and telomere length in youth. These specific exposures were selected because of their established links with negative health consequences across the life-course.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children, age 5 to 15, were recruited from the greater New Orleans area, and exposure to family disruption and violence was assessed through caregiver report. Telomere length, from buccal cell DNA (buccal telomere length [bTL]), was determined by using monochrome multiplex quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The association between bTL and adversity exposure was tested (n = 80).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cumulative exposure to interpersonal violence and family disruption was correlated with bTL. Controlling for other sociodemographic factors, bTL was significantly shorter in children with higher exposure to family violence and disruption. Witnessing family violence exerted a particularly potent impact. A significant gender interaction was found (β = -0.0086, SE = 0.0031, z test= -2.79, P = .0053) and analysis revealed the effect only in girls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  bTL is a molecular biomarker of adversity and allostatic load that is detectable in childhood. The present results extend previous studies by demonstrating that telomeres are sensitive to adversity within the overarching family domain. These findings suggest that the family ecology may be an important target for interventions to reduce the biological impact of adversity in the lives of children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana; sdrury@tulane.edu.
authors.forename: Stacy S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Drury
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Community Health, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana; and.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mabile
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana;
authors.forename: Zoë H
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Brett
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana;
authors.forename: Kyle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Esteves
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana;
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Shirtcliff
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Community Health, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana; and.
authors.forename: Katherine P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Theall
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017579:Domestic Violence; D054541:Family Conflict; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D016615:Telomere
keywords: family context; interpersonal violence; telomere length; toxic stress