TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2024//
TI  - Childhood maltreatment and leukocyte telomere length: cardiac vagal activity influences the relation in older adults
JO  - Psychosomatic medicine
A1  - Connor, Alexandra
A1  - Deschamps, Alain
A1  - Busque, Lambert
A1  - Tardif, Jean-Claude
A1  - Bourgoin, Vincent
A1  - Dubé, Marie-Pierre
A1  - Busseuil, David
A1  - D'Antono, Bianca
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - OBJECTIVE: Childhood maltreatment is associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL). However, the influence of cardiac vagal control on this relation is unknown. We examined whether cardiac vagal control at rest and in response to stress moderates or cross-sectionally mediates the relationship between childhood maltreatment and LTL. <br><br>METHODS: Participants were 1179 men and women (aged 65 ± 7.2 years) suffering from coronary artery disease (CAD) or non-cardiovascular chronic disease. They completed a childhood maltreatment questionnaire and underwent a stress protocol while ECG was monitored. HF-HRV measures were obtained at rest, during stress, and post-stress in absolute and normalized units (nu). LTL was measured using qPCR. Mediation and moderation analyses were performed. <br><br>RESULTS: HF-HRV and HFnu measures did not mediate the childhood maltreatment-LTL relation. However, baseline HFnu (p =.027) and HFnu reactivity (p =.051) moderated the relation. Specifically, maltreatment was associated with significantly lower LTL among those with baseline HFnu at (b = -.059, p =.003) or below the mean (b = -.103, p <.001), but not among those with higher baseline HFnu. It was also associated with significantly lower LTL among participants who showed either blunted (b = -.058, p =.004) or increased HFnu (b = -.099, p =.001) responses to stress but not in those with large decreases in HFnu. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Childhood maltreatment was associated with lower LTL in those who showed a distinct cardiac vagal profile at baseline and in response to stress. The mechanisms and implications remain to be determined.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0033-3174
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000001290
ID  - ref1
ER  -