Intimate partner violence and lower relationship quality are associated with faster biological aging

Changes in social relationships from 26 to 34 years of age in adults born very preterm

BACKGROUND

Very preterm and/or very low birthweight (VP/VLBW; <32 weeks' gestation and/or <1500 g birthweight) individuals rated their partner and peer relationships lower than term-born individuals in emerging adulthood, but their quality of relationships with parents has been rarely investigated. Moreover, it is unclear whether previously reported differences in social relationship characteristics persist or lessen from emerging to established adulthood.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate changes in social relationship characteristics in VP/VLBW adults compared to term-born adults from 26 to 34 years and whether the association between VP/VLBW and social relationship characteristics varies according to sex.

METHODS

In this prospective whole-population birth cohort study in South Bavaria, Germany, social relationship characteristics with parents, partners and peers, and overall social relationships across these domains were evaluated with a Life Course Interview at 26 and 34 years. Interview items related to these domains were extracted and scored as 0 (optimal) and 1 (non-optimal). Each score was summed into domain-specific composite scores and standardised according to the total sample.

RESULTS

Participants included 262 VP/VLBW (52.7% males) and 230 term-born individuals (47.0% males). VP/VLBW adults had lower overall social relationship scores than term-born adults (β = -.61, 95% CI -0.85, -0.37). Specifically, partner (β = -.50, 95% CI-0.74, -0.27) and peer relationship scores (β = -.55, 95% CI-0.78, -0.32) were lower than those of term-born adults, but scores did not differ for parent relationships. On average, partner (β = .25, 95% CI 0.14, 0.35) and peer relationship scores increased (β = .16, 95% CI 0.03, 0.29), while parent relationship scores decreased (β = -.64, 95% CI-0.79, -0.49) from 26 to 34 years. These changes were similar for VP/VLBW and term-born individuals.

CONCLUSIONS

Patterns of change for the improved partner and peer but worsening parental social relationship scores were common across VP/VLBW and term-born adults, but differences between the two groups persisted from 26 to 34 years.

Childhood sexual abuse and pervasive problems across multiple life domains: Findings from a five-decade study

The aim of this study was to use longitudinal population-based data to examine the associations between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and risk for adverse outcomes in multiple life domains across adulthood. In 937 individuals followed from birth to age 45y, we assessed associations between CSA (retrospectively reported at age 26y) and the experience of 22 adverse outcomes in seven domains (physical, mental, sexual, interpersonal, economic, antisocial, multi-domain) from young adulthood to midlife (26 to 45y). Analyses controlled for sex, socioeconomic status, prospectively reported child harm and household dysfunction adverse childhood experiences, and adult sexual assault, and considered different definitions of CSA. After adjusting for confounders, CSA survivors were more likely than their peers to experience internalizing, externalizing, and thought disorders, suicide attempts, health risk behaviors, systemic inflammation, poor oral health, sexually transmitted diseases, high-conflict relationships, benefit use, financial difficulties, antisocial behavior, and cumulative problems across multiple domains in adulthood. In sum, CSA was associated with multiple persistent problems across adulthood, even after adjusting for confounding life stressors, and the risk for particular problems incremented with CSA severity. The higher risk for most specific problems was small to moderate, but the cumulative long-term effects across multiple domains reflect considerable individual and societal burden.

Life-Course Persistent Antisocial Behavior and Accelerated Biological Aging in a Longitudinal Birth Cohort

Prior research shows that individuals who have exhibited antisocial behavior are in poorer health than their same-aged peers. A major driver of poor health is aging itself, yet research has not investigated relationships between offending trajectories and biological aging. We tested the hypothesis that individuals following a life-course persistent (LCP) antisocial trajectory show accelerated aging in midlife. Trajectories of antisocial behavior from age 7 to 26 years were studied in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a population-representative birth cohort (N = 1037). Signs of aging were assessed at age 45 years using previously validated measures including biomarkers, clinical tests, and self-reports. First, we tested whether the association between antisocial behavior trajectories and midlife signs of faster aging represented a decline from initial childhood health. We then tested whether decline was attributable to tobacco smoking, antipsychotic medication use, debilitating illnesses in adulthood, adverse exposures in childhood (maltreatment, socioeconomic disadvantage) and adulthood (incarceration), and to childhood self-control difficulties. Study members with a history of antisocial behavior had a significantly faster pace of biological aging by midlife, and this was most evident among individuals following the LCP trajectory (β, 0.22, 95%CI, 0.14, 0.28, p ≤ 0.001). This amounted to 4.3 extra years of biological aging between ages 25-45 years for Study members following the LCP trajectory compared to low-antisocial trajectory individuals. LCP offenders also experienced more midlife difficulties with hearing (β, -0.14, 95%CI, -0.21, -0.08, p ≤ 0.001), balance (β, -0.13, 95%CI, -0.18, -0.06, p ≤ 0.001), gait speed (β, -0.18, 95%CI, -0.24, -0.10, p ≤ 0.001), and cognitive functioning (β, -0.25, 95%CI, -0.31, -0.18, p ≤ 0.001). Associations represented a decline from childhood health. Associations persisted after controlling individually for tobacco smoking, antipsychotic medication use, midlife illnesses, maltreatment, socioeconomic status, incarceration, and childhood self-control difficulties. However, the cumulative effect of these lifestyle characteristics together explained why LCP offenders have a faster Pace of Aging than their peers. While older adults typically age-out of crime, LCP offenders will likely age-into the healthcare system earlier than their chronologically same-aged peers. Preventing young people from offending is likely to have substantial benefits for health, and people engaging in a LCP trajectory of antisocial behaviors might be the most in need of health promotion programs. We offer prevention and intervention strategies to reduce the financial burden of offenders on healthcare systems and improve their wellbeing.

The Dunedin study after half a century: reflections on the past, and course for the future

Over the last 50 years Dunedin Study researchers have published more than 1400 peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and reports on many aspects of human health and development. In this 50th anniversary piece we reflect on (i) our historical roots and necessary re-invention through time; (ii) the underpinning principles that have contributed to our success; (iii) some selected examples of high-impact work from the behavioural, oral health, and respiratory domains; (iv) some of the challenges we have encountered over time and how to overcome these; and (vi) review where we see the Study going in the future. We aim to present some of the 'back story', which is typically undocumented and oft lost to memory, and thus focus on 'know-how'. Our hope is to humanise our research, share insights, and to acknowledge the real heroes of the Study - the 1037 Study members, their families and their friends, who have collectively given so much, for so long, in the hope of helping others.