# Childhood Adversity, Biopsychosocial Pathways, and Telomere Length in Adolescence

> **NIH NIH R01** · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $376,709

## Abstract

Summary
Both adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and shorter telomere length (TL) have been associated with chronic
disease in adulthood, however, few researchers have examined effects of ACEs on TL early in the life course or
at sensitive periods in development, limiting opportunities for earlier and/or developmentally timed intervention.
Additionally, studies focused on hypothesized biological and psychological mechanisms through which ACEs
contribute to shortening of telomeres are limited. Moreover, the effect of contextual exposures outside of
adolescents' neighborhood on TL has not been examined. In our previous research, we found that adolescents
spend 35% of their waking time outside of their residential census tract, thus the effect of contextual exposures
encompassing adolescents' neighborhood and other routine locations (e.g. school, peers, activities, etc.), known
as their “activity space,” on TL has not been examined. Our study will add to the evidence on the relationship
between ACEs and TL in adolescence by examining ACEs occurring at specific developmental periods (birth,
early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence) as well as cumulatively. We will also investigate biological
(HPA axis; hair cortisol) and psychological (depressive and anxious symptoms) stress pathways through which
ACEs may affect TL. Moreover, we will also use novel activity space data to examine relationships between
adolescents' exposure to contemporary individual and sociospatial adversity and TL. Our specific aims are to
examine: patterns of ACEs occurring across childhood and adolescence (birth, 0-5 years, 6-10 years, and 11 to
17 years) and their effect on adolescent biological stress, psychological distress, and TL; relationships between
biological stress and TL and psychological distress and TL; the extent to which biological stress and
psychological distress mediate the relationship between patterns of child/adolescent ACEs and adolescent TL;
patterns of contemporary individual and activity space ACEs during adolescence and their effect on adolescent
biological stress, psychological distress, and TL, accounting for ACEs prior to age 11 years; and the extent to
which biological stress and psychological distress mediate the relationship between patterns of contemporary
individual and activity space ACEs and adolescent TL, accounting for ACEs prior to age 11 years. In the analysis
of each aim we will explore sex as a moderator of the hypothesized relationships. The study is a secondary
analysis of data collected from two NIH funded studies of 1,018 adolescents. Study variables will be constructed
from existing data and analyzed using descriptive statistics for data distribution, identify outliers, conduct data
transformation if needed to achieve normality, and summarize subject characteristics. We will use latent class
analysis and multiple linear regressions models for hypothesis testing. Our approach will identify sub-groups of
ACEs across childhoo...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10066463
- **Project number:** 1R01NR019008-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jodi L. Ford
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $376,709
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-10 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10066463

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10066463, Childhood Adversity, Biopsychosocial Pathways, and Telomere Length in Adolescence (1R01NR019008-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10066463. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*