Brody Gene H, Yu Tianyi, Shalev Idan
Center for Family Research, University of Georgia.
Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University.
Health Psychol. 2017 May;36(5):438-444. doi: 10.1037/hea0000443. Epub 2016 Nov 10.
This study was designed to examine prospective associations of risky family environments with subsequent levels of negative emotions and peripheral blood mononuclear cell telomere length (TL), a marker of cellular aging. A second purpose was to determine whether negative emotions mediate the hypothesized link between risky family processes and diminished telomere length.
Participants were 293 adolescents (age 17 years at the first assessment) and their primary caregivers. Caregivers provided data on risky family processes when the youths were age 17 years, youths reported their negative emotions at age 18 years, and youths' TL was assayed from a blood sample at age 22 years.
The results revealed that (a) risky family processes forecast heightened negative emotions (β = .316, p < .001) and diminished TL (β = -.199, p = .003) among youths, (b) higher levels of negative emotions forecast shorter TL (β = -.187, p = .012), and (c) negative emotions served as a mediator connecting risky family processes with diminished TL (indirect effect = -0.012, 95% CI [-0.036, -0.002]).
These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that risky family processes presage premature cellular aging through effects on negative emotions, with potential implications for lifelong health. (PsycINFO Database Record
本研究旨在探讨危险家庭环境与随后的负面情绪水平以及外周血单核细胞端粒长度（TL，细胞衰老的一个标志物）之间的前瞻性关联。第二个目的是确定负面情绪是否介导了危险家庭环境与端粒长度缩短之间的假设联系。
参与者为293名青少年（首次评估时年龄为17岁）及其主要照顾者。照顾者提供了青少年17岁时危险家庭环境的数据，青少年报告了他们18岁时的负面情绪，并且在青少年22岁时从血液样本中检测其端粒长度。
结果显示，（a）危险家庭环境预示着青少年负面情绪增加（β = .316，p < .001）以及端粒长度缩短（β = -.199，p = .003），（b）更高水平的负面情绪预示着端粒长度更短（β = -.187，p = .012），以及（c）负面情绪作为中介将危险家庭环境与端粒长度缩短联系起来（间接效应 = -0.012，95% CI [-0.036, -0.002]）。
这些发现与以下假设一致，即危险家庭环境通过对负面情绪的影响预示着细胞过早衰老，这对终身健康具有潜在影响。（PsycINFO数据库记录）
