Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1720 2nd Ave South, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA.
Department of Biostatistics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1720 2nd Ave South, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA.
J Youth Adolesc. 2024 Feb;53(2):258-272. doi: 10.1007/s10964-023-01863-x. Epub 2023 Sep 16.
Youth who grow up in disadvantaged neighborhoods experience poorer health later in life, but little is known about the biological mechanisms underlying these effects and socioenvironmental factors that may protect youth from the biological embedding of neighborhood adversity. This study tests whether supportive and consistent parenting buffers associations between neighborhood disadvantage in early adolescence and epigenetic aging in adulthood. A community sample from Birmingham, Alabama, USA (N = 343; 57% female; 81% Black, 19% White) was assessed in early adolescence (T1; ages 11 and 13) and adulthood (T2; age 27). At T1, neighborhood poverty was derived from census data and neighborhood disorder was reported by caregivers. Both youth and parents reported on parental discipline and nurturance. At T2, methylation of salivary DNA was used to derive a mortality risk index and Hannum, Horvath, PhenoAge, and GrimAge epigenetic age estimators. Regression analyses revealed that neighborhood disadvantage was associated with accelerated epigenetic aging and/or mortality risk only when combined with high levels of harsh and inconsistent discipline and low child-reported parental nurturance. These findings identify epigenetic aging and mortality risk as relevant mechanisms through which neighborhood adversity experienced in adolescence may affect later health; they also point to the importance of supportive and consistent parenting for reducing the biological embedding of neighborhood adversity in early adolescence.
在不利社区中成长的年轻人在以后的生活中健康状况较差，但对于这些影响的生物学机制以及可能保护年轻人免受邻里逆境生物学影响的社会环境因素知之甚少。本研究检验了支持性和一致性的养育是否缓冲了青少年早期邻里劣势与成年后表观遗传衰老之间的关联。美国阿拉巴马州伯明翰的一个社区样本（N=343；57%为女性；81%为黑人，19%为白人）在青少年早期（T1；年龄 11 岁和 13 岁）和成年期（T2；年龄 27 岁）进行了评估。在 T1 时，通过人口普查数据得出了邻里贫困程度，通过照顾者报告了邻里混乱程度。青少年和父母都报告了父母的纪律和养育情况。在 T2 时，通过唾液 DNA 的甲基化来得出死亡率风险指数以及 Hannum、Horvath、PhenoAge 和 GrimAge 表观遗传年龄估算值。回归分析显示，只有当青少年时期经历的邻里劣势与严厉且不一致的纪律水平较高以及儿童报告的父母养育水平较低相结合时，邻里劣势才与加速的表观遗传衰老和/或死亡率风险相关。这些发现确定了表观遗传衰老和死亡率风险是邻里逆境在青少年时期可能影响以后健康的相关机制；它们还指出了支持性和一致性养育对于减少青少年早期邻里逆境的生物学影响的重要性。
