The epigenetic impacts of pubertal acceleration following early caregiver disruptions

Abstract

A stable caregiving environment early in life is essential for children’s development, and disruptions have the potential to impact biological processes. Using data from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, we examined a developmental cascade model in which shifts in pubertal tempo following early caregiving disruptions come at an epigenetic cost. Among 115 individuals, all of whom experienced severe deprivation early in life, we tracked caregiving disruptions across childhood; assessed pubertal timing and tempo across adolescence; and quantified the pace of cellular aging via telomere erosion across the second decade of life. We demonstrate that a greater number of caregiving disruptions is associated with delayed pubertal timing and an acceleration of pubertal tempo. In turn, accelerations in pubertal tempo are associated with significantly greater telomere erosion across time. A formal mediation model indicated that greater caregiving disruptions during childhood predicted greater telomere erosion through an acceleration of pubertal tempo. By documenting the impact of caregiving disruptions on pubertal development and ultimately biological aging, these findings highlight the importance of the stability of the caregiving context and the critical need to ensure that organizations caring for vulnerable children establish programs and policies to minimize unnecessary disruptions.