When childhood stress leaves visible marks

Child maltreatment leaves deep marks not only emotionally but also biologically. In a new study published in PLOS One, a Japanese research team examined children aged 4–6 who had experienced abuse or neglect, comparing them to typically developing peers. The findings show that maltreated children exhibit epigenetic age acceleration, a gap between biological and chronological age based on DNA methylation. These children also avoid direct eye contact, especially the eye region in human faces. Both factors are linked to greater emotional and behavioral difficulties. These results highlight how early negative experiences can profoundly impact neurobiological development and stress the importance of early interventions to buffer the long-term effects of early-life stress.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0321952