Childhood abuse, parental warmth, and adult multisystem biological risk in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study

TLDR

Early-life adverse social relations are linked to poorer health across the lifespan, while nurturing relationships in childhood are known to promote overall wellbeing. The study links early adverse experiences to increased multisystem disease biomarkers, shows that loving parental relationships can mitigate this rise, and highlights the findings’ broad impact on biological and social science literature.

Abstract

Significance Adverse social relations in early life are thought to negatively influence health throughout the lifespan. The present findings provide a biological link regarding why negative early life experiences affect health and further suggest that a loving parental figure may provide protection. It is well recognized that providing children in adverse circumstances with a nurturing relationship is beneficial for their overall wellbeing. Our findings suggest that a loving relationship may also prevent the rise in biomarkers indicative of disease risk across numerous physiological systems, impacting adverse health outcomes decades later. The results contribute in a meaningful way to several biological literatures and to the social sciences and, as such, will have a substantial impact.