Children's Health

Kids Exposed to Bullying, Violence May Age Faster

Bullying Scars Run Deep continued...

"It is exciting to have this kind of window into what may be causing significant health problems that traumatized young people have as they grow up," Fornari says. "Chronic maltreatment may have deleterious effects on children's health, brain, and the way in which their brain functions. There is no good evidence to stay that this is reversible."

"It's possible, and likely, that faster telomere shortening in childhood could put us on a more rapid trajectory of aging and early onset of disease as adults," says Elissa Epel, PhD, in an email. She is the AME Laboratory director at the University of California, San Francisco. "The residue of childhood trauma may even manifest decades later, in adults. Now we have some evidence that indeed children's immune system aging can be adversely affected by severe stress early in childhood, a scar that could possibly last decades later. This study underscores the vital importance of reducing violent exposures for children -- both serious bullying and abuse in the family."