Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37327798›Full record

ArticleThe Lancet. Child & adolescent health2023

Association between the timing of childhood adversity and epigenetic patterns across childhood and adolescence: findings from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) prospective cohort.

Alexandre A Lussier, Yiwen Zhu, Brooke J Smith, Janine Cerutti, Jonah Fisher, Phillip E Melton, Natasha M Wood, Sarah Cohen-Woods, Rae-Chi Huang, Colter Mitchell and 9 more

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Article in The Lancet. Child & adolescent health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 41 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
41citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

41 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Psychosocial and menstrual correlates of premenstrual disorders: A community-based study.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
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  13. The Developmental Origins of Asthma and COPD.Annual review of physiology · 2026
    Review
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  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Epigenetics of Childhood Obesity.Hormone research in paediatrics · 2026
    Review
  19. Article
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors.

Alexandre A LussierPsychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Centre for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, The Broad Institute of Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. Electronic address: alussier@mgh.harvard.edu.
Yiwen ZhuPsychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Centre for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
Brooke J SmithPsychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Centre for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Janine CeruttiPsychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Centre for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Jonah FisherInstitute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Abor, MI, USA.
Phillip E MeltonSchool of Population and Global Health, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia; Menzies Research Institute, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia.
Natasha M WoodCollege of Education, Psychology, and Social Work, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Sarah Cohen-WoodsCollege of Education, Psychology, and Social Work, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia; Flinders Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia; Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Rae-Chi HuangNutrition Health Innovation Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, Australia.
Colter MitchellInstitute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Abor, MI, USA.
Lisa SchneperDepartment of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
Daniel A NottermanDepartment of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
Andrew J SimpkinSchool of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland.
Andrew D A C SmithMathematics and Statistics Research Group, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK.
Matthew J SudermanMedical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Esther WaltonDepartment of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
Caroline L ReltonMedical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Kerry J ResslerDepartment of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
Erin C DunnPsychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Centre for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA; Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, The Broad Institute of Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. Electronic address: edunn2@mgh.harvard.edu.

Funding

Fragile Families and the Transition to AdulthoodR01HD036916 · NICHD · PRINCETON UNIVERSITY · PI Kathryn Edin, Jane Waldfogel · 1999 to 2026
$46.3M
The Fragile Families Cardiovascular Health Follow Up StudyR01HL149869 · NHLBI · PRINCETON UNIVERSITY · PI LLOYD-JONES, DONALD M, NOTTERMAN, DANIEL A. · 2020 to 2023
$11.9M
Reciprocal Genetic-Environmental Interactions During Childhood and AdolescenceR01HD076592 · NICHD · PRINCETON UNIVERSITY · PI NOTTERMAN, DANIEL A. · 2013 to 2023
$6.8M
Childhood adversity, DNA methylation, and risk for depression: A longitudinal study of sensitive periods in developmentR01MH113930 · NIMH · PURDUE UNIVERSITY · PI Erin Cathleen Dunn · 2017 to 2026
$6.6M
Epigenetic Mediation of Adverse Social Context on Stress Response, Socioemotional Development, and Health in a Population-based Study of Minority and Low SES Children and AdolescentsR01MD011716 · NIMHD · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI MITCHELL, COLTER M.S. · 2017 to 2022
$4.6M
Effects of poverty on affective development: A multi-level, longitudinal studyR01MH103761 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI MONK, CHRISTOPHER STEPHEN · 2014 to 2018
$3.3M
Childhood adversity, DNA methylation, and risk for depression: A longitudinal study of protective factors and sensitive periods in developmentR01MH130442 · NIMH · PURDUE UNIVERSITY · PI Erin Cathleen Dunn · 2023 to 2026
$3.2M
Does epigenetic methylation explain the gender-switch in adolescent asthma?R01AI121226 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS · PI HOLLOWAY, JOHN W, ZHANG, HONGMEI · 2016 to 2020
$3.2M
ECONOMIC STATUS, PUBLIC POLICY, AND CHILD NEGLECTR01HD039135 · NICHD · PRINCETON UNIVERSITY · PI PAXSON, CHRISTINA H · 2000 to 2004
$3.1M
Child Care and Parental Employment in Fragile FamiliesR01HD040421 · NICHD · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TEACHERS COLLEGE · PI BROOKS-GUNN, JEANNE · 2002 to 2006
$2.8M
Epigenetic Pathways to Conduct Problem Trajectories: Early Environmental RisksR01HD068437 · NICHD · KING'S COLLEGE LONDON · PI BARKER, EDWARD D., MILL, JONATHAN · 2012 to 2014
$1.1M
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/I025263/1Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BBI025751/1Medical Research Council G9815508Medical Research Council MC_PC_15018Medical Research Council MC_PC_19009Medical Research Council MC_UU_00011/5Medical Research Council MC_UU_00032/4NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL149869NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI121226NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD036916NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD039135NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD040421NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD068437NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD076592NIMHD NIH HHS R01 MD011716NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH103761NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH113930NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH130442Wellcome TrustWellcome Trust 217065/Z/19/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChildhood adversity is a potent determinant of health across development and is associated with altered DNA methylation signatures, which might be more common in children exposed during sensitive periods in development. However, it remains unclear whether adversity has persistent epigenetic associations across childhood and adolescence. We aimed to examine the relationship between time-varying adversity (defined through sensitive period, accumulation of risk, and recency life course hypotheses) and genome-wide DNA methylation, measured three times from birth to adolescence, using data from a prospective, longitudinal cohort study.

methodsWe first investigated the relationship between the timing of exposure to childhood adversity between birth and 11 years and blood DNA methylation at age 15 years in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) prospective cohort study. Our analytic sample included ALSPAC participants with DNA methylation data and complete childhood adversity data between birth and 11 years. We analysed seven types of adversity (caregiver physical or emotional abuse, sexual or physical abuse [by anyone], maternal psychopathology, one-adult households, family instability, financial hardship, and neighbourhood disadvantage) reported by mothers five to eight times between birth and 11 years. We used the structured life course modelling approach (SLCMA) to identify time-varying associations between childhood adversity and adolescent DNA methylation. Top loci were identified using an R

findingsOf 13 988 children in the ALSPAC cohort, 609-665 children (311-337 [50-51%] boys and 298-332 [49-50%] girls) had complete data available for at least one of the seven childhood adversities and DNA methylation at 15 years. Exposure to adversity was associated with differences in DNA methylation at 15 years for 41 loci (R

interpretationThese findings highlight the time-varying effect of childhood adversity on DNA methylation profiles across development, which might link exposure to adversity to potential adverse health outcomes in children and adolescents. If replicated, these epigenetic signatures could ultimately serve as biological indicators or early warning signs of initiated disease processes, helping identify people at greater risk for the adverse health consequences of childhood adversity.

fundingCanadian Institutes of Health Research, Cohort and Longitudinal Studies Enhancement Resources, EU's Horizon 2020, US National Institute of Mental Health.

Indexed as

Adverse Childhood ExperiencesAdolescentAdultCanadaChildChild, PreschoolEpigenesis, GeneticFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornLongitudinal StudiesMaleParentsProspective Studies

Identifiers

PMID37327798
PMCPMC10527482

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