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Adverse Childhood Events and Health Biomarkers: A Systematic Review

Sara Soares1,2, Vânia Rocha1,2, Michelle Kelly-Irving3

  • 1EPIUnit - Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.

Frontiers in Public Health
|September 7, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Adverse childhood events (ACEs) can lead to biological changes in children, affecting immune system biomarkers, DNA methylation, and telomere length. These early-life biological alterations suggest a potential for later health problems.

Area of Science:

  • Explores the biological embedding of adverse childhood events (ACEs).
  • Focuses on epigenetic, neuro-immuno-endocrine, and short-term biological effects.

Background:

  • Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) can have profound, lasting impacts on child development.
  • Understanding the biological embedding of ACEs is crucial for early intervention.
  • This review focuses on the short-term biological consequences of ACEs in children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review evidence on the epigenetic and neuro-immuno-endocrine effects of ACEs in children.
  • To focus on the short-term biological impact of adverse childhood experiences.
  • To synthesize findings on how ACEs affect biological markers in early life.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature search of PsycINFO®, PubMed®, Web of Knowledge, and Scopus databases.
  • Inclusion of studies reporting short-term biological effects of ACEs exposure in children.
  • Review of 58 identified studies published up to July 2019.

Main Results:

  • Sexual abuse was the most frequently reported ACE, followed by life stressors and physical abuse.
  • A majority of studies (17) found associations between ACEs and immune system biomarkers.
  • ACEs were linked to increased DNA methylation (18 studies) and shorter telomere length (2 studies).

Conclusions:

  • ACEs are associated with biological risks in early childhood, supporting the 'under the skin' hypothesis.
  • ACEs induce physiological changes that may contribute to later disease development.
  • Early identification and understanding of ACEs' biological impact are vital for long-term health outcomes.

Keywords:
ACESadverse childhood eventsbiology of social adversitybiomarkersreview—systematic

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