The Counterintuitive Relationship between Telomerase Activity and Childhood Emotional Abuse: Culture and Complexity

Clifton R. Emery, Qian-Wen Xie, Jessie S. M. Chan, Ling-Li Leng, Celia H. Y. Chan, Kwok-Fai So, Ang Li, Kevin K. T. Po, Zoe Chouliara, Cecilia Lai Wan Chan, Anna W. M. Choi, L. P. Yuen, Kam Shing Ku, Winnie Kung and Siu-Man Ng
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Clifton R. Emery: SWSA, University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
Qian-Wen Xie: School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Jessie S. M. Chan: Department of Psychology, University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
Ling-Li Leng: SWSA, University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
Celia H. Y. Chan: SWSA, University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
Kwok-Fai So: State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
Ang Li: Joint International Research Laboratory of CNS Regeneration Ministry of Education, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Kevin K. T. Po: State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
Zoe Chouliara: Independent Practice, Edinburgh, Midlothian EH7, UK
Cecilia Lai Wan Chan: SWSA, University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
Anna W. M. Choi: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
L. P. Yuen: International Association for Health and Yangsheng, 20 Venturi Rd., Happy Valley, Hong Kong
Kam Shing Ku: Haven of Hope Haven of Hope Christian Service, 7 Haven of Hope Rd, Hong Kong
Winnie Kung: Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University, New York, NY 10023, USA
Siu-Man Ng: SWSA, University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-12

Abstract: BACKGROUND: A burgeoning literature has found relationships between telomere length, telomerase activity, and human health and longevity. Although some research links a history of childhood adversity with shortened telomere length, our review found no prior research on the relationship between child maltreatment history and telomerase activity in adulthood. We hypothesized a negative relationship between child maltreatment and telomerase activity and hypothesized that the association would be moderated by sex. METHODS: These relationships were tested on a sample of 262 Hong Kong Chinese adults (200 females versus 62 males) with mild to moderate depression. RESULTS: Counterintuitively, emotional abuse was positively associated with telomerase activity, while other maltreatment types were non-significant. The positive relationship between emotional abuse and telomerase activity was significantly moderated by the sex of the participant. CONCLUSIONS: We advance two possible explanations for this finding (1) a culturally informed resilience explanation and (2) a homeostatic complexity explanation. The two explanations are not mutually exclusive. This trial is registered under Hong Kong Clinical Trial Register number HKCTR-1929. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Emotional abuse was significantly positively associated with telomerase activity. There are at least two non-mutually exclusive explanations for the findings. Simply put, either (1) in the cultural context of Hong Kong emotional abuse was not a risk factor, and/or (2) the conceptualization of telomerase activity as a straightforward indicator of longevity is overly simplistic. The first story we might term a “resilience explanation” while the second we might call a “homeostatic complexity” story.

Keywords: child maltreatment; child emotional abuse; telomerase activity; long-term consequences; later adulthood; Chinese (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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