What is it about?
Stable and consistent caregiving early in life is crucial for children’s healthy development. In this study, we examined how disruptions in caregiving—such as frequent changes in caregivers or care settings (family care, institutional care) —can affect children across biological systems. We found that more caregiver disruptions were associated with how fast children moved through puberty, which in turn was associated with greater cellular aging across the second decade of life.
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Why is it important?
This work highlights the importance of stable caregiving contexts early in life, and the critical need to ensure that organizations caring for vulnerable children establish programs and policies to minimize unnecessary disruptions.
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The epigenetic impacts of pubertal acceleration following early caregiver disruptions, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, June 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2504216122.
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