Lifetime trauma exposure and accelerated epigenetic aging among midlife women

Trauma exposure may be linked to accelerated biological aging. However, studies have largely considered childhood abuse, with limited consideration of lifetime trauma exposure, particularly for women. Furthermore, few studies have considered newer epigenetic clocks, which have enhanced links with health outcomes. Among midlife women, we investigated whether lifetime trauma exposure is associated with older epigenetic age with several generations of clocks. We explored associations between childhood maltreatment and epigenetic age and racial differences in associations between trauma and epigenetic age.

Two hundred sixteen women (M_age = 59 years, 83% non-Hispanic White, 13% Black, and 4% other race/ethnicities) underwent physical measures, questionnaires to assess lifetime trauma exposure, and a blood draw. A subset of 123 women completed childhood maltreatment measures. Extrinsic epigenetic age, GrimAge, principal component-based PhenoAge, and DunedinPACE were calculated. Clocks were residualized for age and Z-scored for analysis. Associations between trauma and epigenetic age were estimated in linear regression (covariates race, education, body mass index, and estimated cell counts). Interactions by race were tested.

Relative to women without trauma exposure, those with ≥ 2 lifetime traumas had older epigenetic age, GrimAge, 1: B (SE) = 0.15 (0.15), p = .31, 2+: B (SE) = 0.39 (0.13), p = .004; DunedinPACE, 1: B (SE) = 0.23 (0.12), p = .07, 2+: B (SE) = 0.33 (0.11), p = .003. Childhood sexual abuse was also associated with older epigenetic age, GrimAge: B (SE) = 0.56 (0.24), p = .021. Exploratory models suggested that trauma was related to epigenetic age primarily among Black women.

Among midlife women, greater lifetime trauma and possibly childhood sexual abuse were associated with older epigenetic age, independent of chronologic age. Black women may be particularly affected. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).