Associations between early life parent-child separation and shortened telomere length and psychopathological outcomes during adolescence
Associations between early life parent-child separation and shortened telomere length and psychopathological outcomes during adolescence
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早期亲子分离与端粒长度缩短与青春期心理病理结果之间的关联
DOI：
10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.01.021
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发表时间：
2019-05-01
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Sun, Ying
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Chen, Xingxing;Zeng, Chenchen;Sun, Ying
背景资料：鉴于将儿童暴露于实验操纵的不良经历的伦理限制，亲子分离对随后的精神病理学影响的证据主要基于动物研究。中国农村-城市流动中产生的留守儿童现象为探索童年期亲子分离对身心健康的长期影响提供了独特的“自然实验”。目的：探讨青春期亲子分离与端粒长度（TL）和精神病理学的关系。方法：选取710名青少年为研究对象，采用随机抽样的方法，对710名青少年的端粒长度和精神病理学进行了研究。结果：710名青少年的端粒长度和精神病理学均高于10名青少年（年龄：M = 16.86，SD = 1.52），均来自安徽省阜阳市农村学校。通过面对面访谈收集亲子分离情况。麦克阿瑟健康与行为问卷（HBQ）被用来评估内化和外化症状。结果：近60%（399/695）的参与者经历了与父母双方的分离。儿童期或持续与父母分离与内化症状增加有关（儿童期：β = 0.13，95% CI：0.02，0.23;持续性：β = 0.23，95% CI：0.14，0.31），外化症状增加（儿童期：β = 0.17，95% CI：-0.03，-0.32;持续性：β = 0.23，95% CI：0.10，0.35）和较短的端粒长度（儿童期：β =-0.16，95%CI：-0.26，-0.05;持续性：β =-0.13，95%CI：-0.22，-0.03）。据估计，缩短的TL解释了分离对内化和外化症状的总效应的15.2%和12.7%，而内化和外化症状解释了分离对缩短的TL的效应的23.4%和12.3%。中国农村留守儿童经历的童年和持续的亲子分离，与精神病理学症状和细胞衰老标志物的脆弱性增加有关。未来研究的挑战是确定短端粒长度实际上是未来精神障碍的长期后果还是潜在的脆弱性因素。
Background: Given the ethical limitations of exposing children to experimentally manipulated adverse experiences, evidence of the effects of parent-child separation on subsequent psychopathology are based mostly on animal studies. Left-behind children phenomenon resulting from rural-urban mobility in China offers unique "natural experiments" to explore the long-term physical and mental health consequences of parent-child separation in childhood.Objective: To test the associations between parent-child separation with telomere length (TL) and psychopathology during adolescence.Method: A total of 710 adolescents (age: M = 16.86, SD = 1.52) were recruited from local schools in rural area of Fuyang, one of the top inland areas for outward migration in Anhui province, China. Parent-child separation was collected through face to face interview. The MacArthur Health & Behavior Questionnaire (HBQ) was used to assess internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to measure buccal TL.Results: Nearly 60% (399/695) of the participants experienced separation from both parents. Childhood or persistent separation from parents was associated with increased internalizing symptoms (childhood: beta = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.23; persistent: beta = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.14, 0.31), increased externalizing symptoms (childhood: beta = 0.17, 95% CI: -0.03, -0.32; persistent: beta = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.10, 0.35) and shorter telomere length (childhood: beta = -0.16, 95% CI: -0.26, -0.05; persistent: beta = -0.13, 95% CI: -0.22, -0.03). Shortened TL was estimated to explain 15.2% and 12.7% of the total effect of separation on internalizing and externalizing symptoms, while internalizing and externalizing symptoms explained 23.4% and 12.3% of the effect of separation on shortened TL.Conclusion: Childhood and persistent parent-child separation, as experienced by rural left-behind children in China, associates with increased vulnerability for psychopathological symptoms and makers of cellular aging. The challenge for future research is to determine whether short telomere length is in fact a long-term consequence or an underlying vulnerability factor for future mental disorders.