高水平的复原力，可缓冲亲子分离代际延续所致的子代端粒长度加速缩减

Intergenerational continuation of parent-child separation and 1-year telomere length attrition among mother-offspring dyads in rural China: The moderating effects of resilience

亲子分离代际延续与中国农村儿童1年随访端粒长度缩减：复原力的缓冲效应

Author: Kai Ma, Min Zhu, Anhui Zhang, Min Zuo, Yongling Huang, Yuhui Wan, Fangbiao Tao, Ying Sun

Source: Journal of Affective Disorders

DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.09.098

Abstract

Background: Although stressor exposure early in life was a known risk factor for telomere length (TL) attrition, limited literature explored it across generations. Furthermore, the effects of resilience have rarely been examined. Here, we examined whether the effects of intergenerational parent-child separation on offspring 1-year TL attrition vary by the levels of resilience.

Method: In a sample of 342 mother-child dyads living in rural China, the intergenerational continuation of parent-child separation was defined as the two generations both experiencing parent-child separation from both parents for > 6 months a year early in life assessed by the parent-reported questionnaire, whereas intergenerational discontinuity refers to parent-child separation exposed in one generation only. TL was measured at baseline (from June to November 2021) and 1-year later with children's buccal mucosa swabs, with resilience polygenic risk scores (PRS) evaluated based on 4 single-nucleotide variations in 4 resilience-related genes (OXTR, FKBP5, NPY, and TNF-α).

Results: Among 342 mother-offspring dyads, 35 (10.2%) experienced intergenerational continuation of parent-child separation, and 139 (40.6%) were identified as discontinuous. Remarkably, a 0.12-point reduction in TL attrition was only associated with intergenerational continuation of parent-child separation (95%CI: 0.04, 0.21, P < 0.01) but not discontinuity. Importantly, the association between intergenerational continuation of parent-child separation with accelerated TL attrition disappeared in offspring with high resilience PRS (β = 0.07, 95%CI: − 0.06, 0.21).

Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of breaking the intergenerational cycle of parent-child separation and the moderating effects of resilience on TL attrition for children exposed to adversity.

摘要

背景：众所周知，生命早期应激暴露是端粒长度（TL）缩减的危险因素，但较少有研究在多代人中探讨该话题。此外，对复原力的效应的探讨也十分有限。本文探究了代际亲子分离对子代1年端粒长度缩减的影响是否会因复原力水平而异。

方法：在342个中国农村母子对中，通过父母问卷评估亲子分离代际延续（母子两代人生命早期均与双亲分离超过6个月/年）和代际中断（仅一代人经历早期双亲分离）。在基线（2021年6月至11月）和1年后通过口腔黏膜拭子评估子代的TL，基于4个复原力相关基因（OXTR、FKBP5、NPY和TNF-α）的4个单核苷酸多态性计算复原力多基因风险评分（PRS）。

结果：在342个母子对中，35名儿童（10.2%）经历了亲子分离代际延续，139名儿童（40.6%）经历了亲子分离代际中断。值得注意的是，TL缩减0.12个单位长度仅与亲子分离代际延续有关（95%CI: 0.04, 0.21, P < 0.01），与代际中断无关。重要的是，亲子分离代际延续与TL加速缩减之间的关联在高复原力PRS的儿童中不再显著（β = 0.07, 95%CI:- 0.06, 0.21）。

结论：本研究凸显了打破亲子分离代际循环的重要性，以及复原力对逆境暴露儿童的TL缩减的缓冲效应。