Summary: New research shows that childhood maltreatment leaves lasting biological and social scars. In a study of young children, those who experienced abuse showed accelerated cellular aging and reduced social attention.
Using DNA methylation patterns and eye-tracking technology, researchers uncovered how early trauma alters both biology and behavior. These findings highlight the urgent need for early interventions to support vulnerable children and mitigate long-term harm.
Key facts:
- Faster Aging: Maltreated children showed accelerated biological aging at the cellular level.
- Social Impairment: They spent significantly less time making eye contact, a key aspect of social interaction.
- Dual Pathways: Biological and social changes independently contributed to emotional and behavioral difficulties.
Source: University of Fukui
Childhood maltreatment leaves a lasting impact that goes far beyond physical injuries or fading memories.
Scientific evidence has long shown that children who experience abuse and neglect face increased risk of chronic diseases, mental health disorders, and premature death throughout their lives.
Beneath these visible signs lies a deeper truth: childhood maltreatment can fundamentally alter a child’s biology, triggering molecular changes that can last for decades.
Recent research is unravelling that childhood maltreatment doesn’t just harm development—it appears to speed up the aging process itself. Despite growing awareness of the lasting impact of childhood maltreatment, the research fraternity has struggled to understand precisely how these early experiences trigger such deep changes, particularly in very young children.
A possible reason is that previous studies have relied heavily on inconsistent biological markers or subjective self-reports and also lacked the tools to simultaneously examine both the biological alterations and social behavioral changes that occur in maltreated children.
To address these knowledge gaps, a research team from Japan’s United Graduate School of Child Development—a collaboration between Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University, and the University of Fukui—conducted a comprehensive study examining both biological aging and social behavior in young children.
Their findings, published online in the PLOS One journal on May 30, 2025, provide unprecedented evidence and insights into how childhood maltreatment simultaneously accelerates biological aging and impairs social development.
The research team included graduate student Keiko Ochiai, Assistant Professor Shota Nishitani, Associate Professor Takashi X. Fujisawa, and Professor Akemi Tomoda, among others.
The researchers studied 96 Japanese children aged between 4 and 5 years, comparing 36 children who had experienced severe maltreatment with 60 typically developing peers.
They measured biological aging by looking at DNA methylation patterns using a novel method called the Pediatric-Buccal-Epigenetic clock, which the team has pioneered in their earlier works.
These molecular signatures, captured from genetic material from simple cheek swabs, essentially indicate how fast a child’s body is aging at the cellular level.
Additionally, they used eye-tracking technology to monitor the children’s social attention patterns, measuring how long children looked at different elements in carefully selected video footage.
A comprehensive analysis of the data painted a clear yet concerning picture. The team found that children who had experienced maltreatment exhibited significantly accelerated biological aging compared to their typically developing peers.
Furthermore, these children spent notably less time looking at eyes when presented with videos of human faces. This reduced attention to eyes—a crucial aspect of social interaction and understanding—suggests there are fundamental differences in how maltreated children process social information.
Accelerated biological aging and reduced eye contact were both strongly linked to higher scores on measures of emotional and behavioral difficulties, determined using questionnaire-based tools.
Notably, the researchers found that while accelerated biological aging and reduced eye contact were associated, they appeared to contribute independently to the reported difficulties. This finding highlights that maltreatment may affect children through multiple, distinct biological and social pathways.
“Our research sends a powerful message: child maltreatment can leave invisible but measurable marks on a child’s biology and social development. By identifying these early warning signs, we can step in earlier and provide targeted support,” emphasized Ms. Ochiai.
By providing objective measures of the impact of child maltreatment, these findings also underscore an urgent need for early identification and intervention strategies.
“Tools such as eye-tracking assessments and stress-related biological testing could help teachers, doctors, and caregivers expedite the identification of children at risk,” remarks Ms. Ochiai.
Adding further, she says, “Support programs can then be tailored to improve social skills, reduce emotional stress, and promote healthier development—potentially preventing more serious problems later in life.”
Overall, these findings not only deepen our understanding of how child maltreatment shapes development but also offer practical avenues for offering more proactive support. This, in turn, can hopefully assist in providing vulnerable children with the skills and resilience needed for a healthier future.
Funding information: All phases of this study were supported by AMED (20gk0110052), JSPS KAKENHI Scientific Research (A) (19H00617 and 22H00492), Challenging Exploratory Research (Houga) (21K18499), Scientific Research (C) (20K02700), a grant-in-aid for “Creating a Safe and Secure Living Environment in the Changing Public and Private Spheres” from the Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST)/Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society (RISTEX), a research grant from the Strategic Budget to Realize University Missions, research grants from the University of Fukui (FY 2019 and 2020), a grant-in-aid for translational research from the Life Science Innovation Center, University of Fukui (LSI20305 and LSI22202), and a grant for life cycle medicine from the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui.
About this child maltreatment, aging, and social neuroscience research news
Author: Yuuka Kawamoto
Source: University of Fukui
Contact: Yuuka Kawamoto – University of Fukui
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Behavioral and emotional difficulties in maltreated children: Associations with epigenetic clock changes and visual attention to social cues” by Keiko Ochiai et al. PLOS ONE
Abstract
Behavioral and emotional difficulties in maltreated children: Associations with epigenetic clock changes and visual attention to social cues
Research indicates that childhood maltreatment leads to adverse outcomes later in life and accelerated aging. However, few studies have investigated how age acceleration manifests during childhood.
This study aimed to investigate the impact of child maltreatment on DNA methylation age (mAge) acceleration using a case-control study design and its association with visual attention and behavioral and emotional outcomes in maltreated children (CM).
We hypothesized that CM experience atypical aging, which adversely affects their behavioral and emotional outcomes by disrupting the cognitive development necessary for forming interpersonal relationships.
The study included 36 CM and 60 typically developing (TD) children with an average age of 4–5 years. We compared their DNA mAge acceleration, measured through buccal DNA samples.
Additionally, we conducted a behavioral assessment of their cognitive functions related to interpersonal interactions, using an eye-tracking system to measure their gaze points at various social stimuli.
Behavioral and emotional outcomes were evaluated using the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).
The results showed that CM exhibited significantly higher mAge acceleration and spent significantly less time gazing at the eye region during facial expression presentations.
While a significant association between these attributes was observed, a comprehensive path analysis revealed that each attribute independently correlated with higher SDQ scores, suggesting that child maltreatment leads to these difficulties through accelerated aging and decreased eye contact.
This study provides significant insights into how child maltreatment impacts children’s development. It demonstrates that mAge acceleration and reduced attention to the eye region are critical factors associated with the adverse behavioral and emotional outcomes observed in maltreated children.
These findings highlight the importance of early intervention and support for maltreated children to mitigate the long-term effects of accelerated aging and social cognitive deficits.
