Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41260884›Full record

ArticleAging2025

Epigenetic age predicts depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging: importance of biological sex.

Cindy K Barha, Teresa Liu-Ambrose, Amy M Inkster, Ryan S Falck, Joel S Burma, Susan Kirkland, Lauren E Griffith, Mary Thompson, Nicole E Basta, Jacqueline M McMillan and 4 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Aging, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Cindy K BarhaBarha Brain Health Laboratory, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Teresa Liu-AmbroseAging, Mobility, and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Amy M InksterDepartment of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Ryan S FalckAging, Mobility, and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Joel S BurmaBarha Brain Health Laboratory, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Susan KirklandDepartment of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Lauren E GriffithDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Mary ThompsonDepartment of Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
Nicole E BastaDepartment of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Jacqueline M McMillanDivision of Geriatric Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Cynthia BalionDepartment of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Christina WolfsonDepartment of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Parminder RainaDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) Team

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Epigenetic age is a biological metric of overall health and may predict mental health responses to unprecedented stressors. We sought to determine whether epigenetic age acceleration can predict older adults' trajectory of depressive symptoms before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether sex differences exist. Data from baseline (2012-2015), first follow-up (2015-2018), and COVID-19 Baseline survey (April-May 2020) and COVID-19 Exit survey (September-December 2020) of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging were used. Epigenetic age was measured at the study baseline, and depressive symptoms were assessed at each of the four time points using the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10). Sex-stratified mixed linear models examined the effect of epigenetic age (measured by DNAmAge and Hannum Age) on changes in CESD-10. The mean participant chronological age at study entry was 63±10 years (46% female). Unexpectedly, younger epigenetic age predicted increases in depressive symptoms from first follow-up to COVID-19 Baseline survey (p's < 0.05) in females only. Higher epigenetic age was not related to changes in CES-10 score during that time period (p's > 0.05). These findings suggest epigenetic age is a biological factor that can identify females at risk for greater negative effects of major life stressors on mental health.

Indexed as

AgingCOVID-19DepressionEpigenesis, GeneticAgedAge FactorsCanadaFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsSARS-CoV-2Sex FactorsagingCOVID-19depressive symptomsepigenetic clockssex differences

Identifiers

PMID41260884
PMCPMC12705186

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.