Attachment security moderates the link between adverse childhood experiences and cellular aging

What is it about?

Exposure to childhood adversity has been linked to accelerated telomere shortening, a marker of cellular aging and an indicator of physical health risk. In the current study, we examined whether adult attachment representation moderated the association between childhood adversity and telomere length.

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Why is it important?

This is the first study to assess cellular aging in the context of adult attachment patterns. This study is novel in demonstrating that attachment may affect biological resilience following childhood adversity, contributing to the growing literature about the role of the quality of early caregiving experiences and their representations in shaping biological processes and physical health.