Bad parenting and insecure bonding not only has an impact on a child’s behavioral development but can lead to actual changes in their genetics as they get older.
This comes from two new studies, one from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and one from Tulane University, that suggest that abuse and maltreatment of children can lead to shutting certain genes “on” and “off.”
In the UW study “researchers were able to measure the degree to which genes were turned “on” or “off” through a biochemical process called methylation. This new technique reveals the ways that nurture changes nature — that is, how our social experiences can change the underlying biology of our genes.”
And:
“The researchers found an association between the kind of parenting children had and a particular gene (called the glucocorticoid receptor gene) that’s responsible for crucial aspects of social functioning and health…They found that compared to the children who hadn’t been maltreated, the maltreated children had increased methylation on several sites of the glucocorticoid receptor gene, also known as NR3C1, echoing the findings of earlier studies of rodents. In this study, the effect occurred on the section of the gene that’s critical for nerve growth factor, which is an important part of healthy brain development.”
The Tulane study is just beginning but is based on a provocative premise that has implications for how important attachment is in the early years of a child’s development:
“Drury, a geneticist, is a pioneer in new research exploring the biological impacts of early adversity on children. She is the first scientist to show that extreme stress in infancy can biologically age a child by shortening the tips of chromosomes, known as telomeres. These caps keep chromosomes from shrinking when cells replicate. Shorter telomeres are linked to higher risks for heart disease, cognitive decline, diabetes and mental illness in adults.”
