We've updated our Privacy Policy to make it clearer how we use your personal data. We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. You can read our Cookie Policy here.

Advertisement

Police-Induced Stress Can Accelerate Epigenetic Age in Kids

A black man that looks sad.
Credit: Siviwe Kapteyn / Unsplash.
Listen with
Speechify
0:00
Register for free to listen to this article
Thank you. Listen to this article using the player above.

Want to listen to this article for FREE?

Complete the form below to unlock access to ALL audio articles.

Read time: 1 minute

New research from the University of Minnesota shows that stress caused by negative interactions with police can increase epigenetic age, which is a biological indicator that can differ from chronological age. Previous research has shown this stress can age adults more quickly, but few studies have studied increased epigenetic aging in children.


The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, found that negative police encounters were associated with greater epigenetic age acceleration, especially among Black youths who experienced more police intrusion than any other racial or ethnic group.

Want more breaking news?

Subscribe to Technology Networks’ daily newsletter, delivering breaking science news straight to your inbox every day.

Subscribe for FREE

Key findings include:

  • Epigenetic age acceleration for Black youth is partly attributable to negative police encounters, such as racial slurs and stop-and-frisks.
  • Black youth experienced more types of police intrusion than white youths.
  • Negative police encounters occurred as early as 8 years old and, on average, 13 years old.
  • White youth experienced the lowest rates of accelerated epigenetic aging.


“Aging is a natural process in human life, but more rapid aging is associated with many negative health outcomes, including a higher mortality rate,” said Juan Del Toro, an assistant professor in the U of M College of Liberal Arts and lead author. “Emerging evidence suggests we can slow down epigenetic aging, and we hope to contribute to that research moving forward for better health outcomes long-term.”


Future research will explore strategies to slow epigenetic age acceleration among ethnically and racially minoritized communities, and will focus on addressing interpersonal and structural discrimination in policing.


Reference: Del Toro J, Martz C, Freilich CD, et al. Longitudinal changes in epigenetic age acceleration across childhood and adolescence. JAMA Pediatr. 2024. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.3669


This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source. Our press release publishing policy can be accessed here.