Editorial: The Differential Impact of Early Experiences of Threat and Deprivation on Epigenetic Aging

Far too commonly, children and adolescents are exposed to adversity. These experiences include not only abuse (ie, physical, sexual, or emotional abuse) or neglect within the immediate family, but also exposure to deprivation and violence in the wider community (ie, neighborhood violence, bullying victimization, economic hardship). According to findings from a representative study of more than 45,000 children in the United States, 22.5% were affected by economic hardship, 14.8% lived in a disrupted household (ie, incarcerated parent, drug abuse/mental illness of parent), and 6.5% were exposed to violence in their home or neighborhood.¹ These numbers roughly translate to between 1 and 5 children per classroom being affected by different types of adversity.