Kim Jung Ki, Arpawong Thalida Em, Klopack Eric T, Crimmins Eileen M
Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0191, USA.
J Popul Ageing. 2024 Jun;17(2):297-313. doi: 10.1007/s12062-023-09434-5. Epub 2023 Oct 31.
We examine effects of parental divorce on epigenetic aging in later adulthood for two birth cohorts: one born in the early 20th century and the other born in the later 20th century. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (n = 1,545), we examine the relationship between parental divorce in childhood and accelerated epigenetic aging in older adulthood as indicated by the Dunedin methylation Pace of Aging score. We assess how this relationship is mediated by chronic depressive symptoms, education, lifetime smoking, body mass index (BMI), and an older adult's own divorce. The mean age of the earlier cohort is 85.8 (SD = 3.9) and that of the later cohort is 60.2 (SD = 2.8). We find that parental divorce was related to faster aging in the later-born cohort, and that 56% of this relationship (b = 0.060) was mediated by chronic depressive symptoms (b = 0.013), lower education levels (b = 0.005), and smoking (b = 0.019). For the earlier cohort, there was no effect of parental divorce on epigenetic aging. Parental divorce in childhood may have lasting effects on later-life health, as reflected in the rate of epigenetic aging. However, the effects and mechanisms of this relationship differ across cohorts living in different social environments.
一个出生于20世纪初，另一个出生于20世纪后期。利用健康与退休研究（Health and Retirement Study，n = 1,545）的数据，我们考察了童年时期父母离异与老年期表观遗传加速衰老之间的关系，表观遗传加速衰老由达尼丁甲基化衰老速度评分来衡量。我们评估了这种关系是如何通过慢性抑郁症状、教育程度、终生吸烟、体重指数（BMI）以及老年人自身的离异来介导的。较早队列的平均年龄为85.8岁（标准差 = 3.9），较晚队列的平均年龄为60.2岁（标准差 = 2.8）。我们发现，父母离异与较晚出生队列中更快的衰老有关，并且这种关系的56%（b = 0.060）是由慢性抑郁症状（b = 0.013）、较低的教育水平（b = 0.005）和吸烟（b = 0.019）介导的。对于较早队列，父母离异对表观遗传衰老没有影响。童年时期父母离异可能会对晚年健康产生持久影响，这在表观遗传衰老速度中有所体现。然而，这种关系的影响和机制在生活在不同社会环境的队列中有所不同。
