{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]],"date-time":"2026-04-21T16:20:12Z","timestamp":1776788412134,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":58,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,19]],"date-time":"2022-05-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1652918400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychiatry"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Telomeres are short tandem repeats of \u201cTTAGGG\u201d that protect the chromosome ends from deterioration or fusion of chromosomes. Their repeat length shortens with cell division acting as a biomarker of cellular aging. Traumatic stress events during adulthood or childhood have been associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and short leukocyte telomere length (LTL). This study investigated whether LTL was associated with PTSD in a Brazilian sample of sexually assaulted civilian women at two time points: baseline and 1-year follow-up. At baseline, we assessed 64 women with PTSD following sexual assault (cases) and 60 women with no previous history of sexual trauma or mental disorders (healthy controls \u2013 HC). At follow-up visit, 13 persistent PTSD cases, 11 HCs, and 11 PTSD remitters patients were evaluated. PTSD diagnosis and severity were assessed using Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders III\/IV criteria) and Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5), respectively. LTL was measured using multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In the baseline analysis, we observed that LTL was associated with re-experiencing symptoms (<jats:italic>B<\/jats:italic> = \u22120.16; confidence interval (CI) 95% = \u22120.027\u2014\u22120.005; Bonferroni-adjusted <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>-value = 0.02), but no association was observed between other PTSD symptoms and LTL. In the longitudinal analysis, telomere shortening was no longer observed in patients with PTSD and PTSD remitters. In conclusion, our findings indicate that shorter baseline LTL is associated with early stage of PTSD re-experiencing symptoms in recently sexually assaulted women.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2022.835783","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,19]],"date-time":"2022-05-19T07:12:25Z","timestamp":1652944345000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Shorter Telomeres Related to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Re-experiencing Symptoms in Sexually Assaulted Civilian Women"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Carolina Muniz","family":"Carvalho","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Bruno Messina","family":"Coimbra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gabriela","family":"Xavier","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Amanda V. G.","family":"Bugiga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tamiris","family":"Fonseca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Miranda","family":"Olff","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Renato","family":"Polimanti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Andrea Feij\u00f3","family":"Mello","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Vanessa Kiyomi","family":"Ota","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marcelo Feij\u00f3","family":"Mello","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sintia Iole","family":"Belangero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5919","DOI":"10.1016\/s0021-9258(19)39264-6","article-title":"Telomeres: structure and synthesis.","volume":"265","author":"Blackburn","year":"1990","journal-title":"J Biol Chem."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"333","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neubiorev.2015.05.007","article-title":"Psychiatric disorders and leukocyte telomere length: underlying mechanisms linking mental illness with cellular aging.","volume":"55","author":"Lindqvist","year":"2015","journal-title":"Neurosci Biobehav Rev."},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"859","DOI":"10.1016\/j.febslet.2004.11.036","article-title":"Telomeres and telomerase: their mechanisms of action and the effects of altering their functions.","volume":"5","author":"Blackburn","year":"2005","journal-title":"FEBS Lett."},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"17312","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.0407162101","article-title":"Accelerated telomere shortening in response to life stress.","volume":"101","author":"Epel","year":"2004","journal-title":"Proc Natl Acad Sci USA."},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"15","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biopsych.2012.06.025","article-title":"Telomeres and early-life stress: an overview.","volume":"73","author":"Price","year":"2013","journal-title":"Biol Psychiatry."},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"855","DOI":"10.1038\/mp.2013.141","article-title":"The interaction between stressful life events and leukocyte telomere length is associated with PTSD.","volume":"19","author":"Zhang","year":"2014","journal-title":"Mol Psychiatry."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"494","DOI":"10.1002\/da.22279","article-title":"DSM-5 and ICD-11 definitions of posttraumatic stress disorder: investigating \u201cnarrow\u201d and \u201cbroad\u201d approaches.","volume":"31","author":"Stein","year":"2014","journal-title":"Depres Anxiety."},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1156","DOI":"10.1038\/MP.2014.111","article-title":"Traumatic stress, oxidative stress and post-Traumatic stress disorder: neurodegeneration and the accelerated-aging hypothesis.","volume":"19","author":"Miller","year":"2014","journal-title":"Mol Psychiatry."},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"57","DOI":"10.1097\/HRP.0000000000000167","article-title":"Oxidative stress, inflammation, and neuroprogression in chronic PTSD.","volume":"26","author":"Miller","year":"2018","journal-title":"Harv Rev Psychiatry."},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"275","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pnpbp.2014.06.010","article-title":"Telomere shortening and immune activity in war veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.","volume":"54","author":"Jergovi\u0107","year":"2014","journal-title":"Progr Neuro Psychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry."},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0064762","article-title":"Posttraumatic stress disorder and not depression is associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length: findings from 3,000 participants in the population-based KORA F4 Study.","volume":"8","author":"Ladwig","year":"2013","journal-title":"PLoS One."},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"676","DOI":"10.1002\/jts.22325","article-title":"Posttraumatic Stress disorder symptoms, temperament, and the pathway to cellular senescence.","volume":"31","author":"Connolly","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Traum Stress."},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"83","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpsychires.2019.01.018","article-title":"Telomere shortening in blood leukocytes of patients with posttraumatic stress disorder.","volume":"111","author":"Avetyan","year":"2019","journal-title":"J Psychiatr Res."},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"465","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biopsych.2011.01.035","article-title":"Childhood trauma associated with short leukocyte telomere length in posttraumatic stress disorder.","volume":"70","author":"O\u2019Donovan","year":"2011","journal-title":"Biol Psychiatry."},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"506","DOI":"10.1016\/J.PSYNEUEN.2014.07.011","article-title":"Longitudinal changes of telomere length and epigenetic age related to traumatic stress and post-traumatic stress disorder.","volume":"51","author":"Boks","year":"2015","journal-title":"Psychoneuroendocrinology."},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"391","DOI":"10.1002\/da.22620","article-title":"Posttraumatic stress disorder and accelerated aging: PTSD and leukocyte telomere length in a sample of civilian women.","volume":"34","author":"Roberts","year":"2017","journal-title":"Depres Anxiety."},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1081","DOI":"10.1002\/da.20903","article-title":"Investigation of telomere length and psychological stress in rape victims.","volume":"28","author":"Malan","year":"2011","journal-title":"Depres Anxiety."},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"531","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biopsych.2009.08.014","article-title":"Childhood maltreatment and telomere shortening: preliminary support for an effect of early stress on cellular aging.","volume":"67","author":"Tyrka","year":"2010","journal-title":"Biol Psychiatry."},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"322","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2017.03.048","article-title":"The association between post-traumatic stress disorder and shorter telomere length: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","volume":"218","author":"Li","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Affect Disord."},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fnbeh.2020.00006","article-title":"Mechanisms of shared vulnerability to post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders.","volume":"14","author":"Aguilar","year":"2020","journal-title":"Front Behav Neurosci."},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/cpsp.12006","article-title":"Posttraumatic stress disorder and co-occurring substance use disorders: advances in assessment and treatment.","volume":"19","author":"Mccauley","year":"2012","journal-title":"Clin Psychol (N Y)."},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/cells7100169","article-title":"The effect of ethanol on telomere dynamics and regulation in human cells.","volume":"7","author":"Harpaz","year":"2018","journal-title":"Cells."},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-019-38904-0","article-title":"Alcohol consumption and leukocyte telomere length.","volume":"9","author":"Dixit","year":"2019","journal-title":"Sci Rep."},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"177","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lfs.2007.05.005","article-title":"Alcohol-induced oxidative stress.","volume":"81","author":"das","year":"2007","journal-title":"Life Sci."},{"key":"B25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"98","DOI":"10.1093\/epirev\/mxs001","article-title":"Is socioeconomic status associated with biological aging as measured by telomere length?","volume":"35","author":"Robertson","year":"2013","journal-title":"Epidemiol Rev."},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.healthplace.2022.102746","article-title":"The impact of neighborhood context on telomere length: a systematic review.","volume":"74","author":"Coimbra","year":"2022","journal-title":"Health Place."},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1289\/isee.2016.3446","article-title":"Neighborhood deprivation and telomere length (TL): the genetic epidemiology of research in aging (GERA) cohort.","volume":"2016","author":"Alexeeff","year":"2016","journal-title":"ISEE Confer Abstracts."},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/19162","article-title":"Posttraumatic stress disorder and neuroprogression in women following sexual assault: protocol for a randomized clinical trial evaluating allostatic load and aging process acceleration.","volume":"9","author":"Coimbra","year":"2020","journal-title":"JMIR Res Protocols."},{"key":"B29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"106","DOI":"10.1590\/S1516-44462000000300003","article-title":"Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI): valida\u00e7\u00e3o de entrevista breve para diagn\u00f3stico de transtornos mentais.","volume":"22","author":"Amorim","year":"2000","journal-title":"Rev Brasil Psiquiatr."},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"75","DOI":"10.1007\/BF02105408","article-title":"The development of a Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale.","volume":"8","author":"Blake","year":"1995","journal-title":"J Traum Stress."},{"key":"B31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2021.614735","article-title":"Validation of the brazilian-portuguese version of the clinician administered post traumatic stress disorder scale-5.","volume":"1","author":"Torres Oliveira-Watanabe","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front Psychiatry."},{"key":"B32","first-page":"1","article-title":"The alcohol use disorders identification test: guidelines for use in primary care.","volume":"92","author":"Babor","year":"2001","journal-title":"Geneva World Health Organiz."},{"key":"B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/nar\/gkn1027","article-title":"Telomere length measurement by a novel monochrome multiplex quantitative PCR method.","volume":"37","author":"Cawthon","year":"2009","journal-title":"Nucleic Acids Res."},{"key":"B34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"120","DOI":"10.1016\/j.healthplace.2014.02.001","article-title":"Socioeconomic deprivation, perceived neighborhood factors, and cortisol responses to induced stress among healthy adults.","volume":"27","author":"Barrington","year":"2014","journal-title":"Health Place."},{"key":"B35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-018-5170-x","article-title":"Associations between perceived stress, socioeconomic status, and health-risk behaviour in deprived neighbourhoods in Denmark: a cross-sectional study.","volume":"18","author":"Algren","year":"2018","journal-title":"BMC Public Health."},{"key":"B36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1159","DOI":"10.1001\/JAMA.2010.297","article-title":"Association of socioeconomic position with health behaviors and mortality.","volume":"303","author":"Stringhini","year":"2010","journal-title":"JAMA."},{"key":"B37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5751\/ES-05377-180216","article-title":"Education, vulnerability, and resilience after a natural disaster.","volume":"18","author":"Frankenberg","year":"2013","journal-title":"Ecol Soc."},{"key":"B38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2019.3447","article-title":"Association of economic status and educational attainment with posttraumatic stress disorder a mendelian randomization study.","volume":"2","author":"Polimanti","year":"2019","journal-title":"JAMA Network Open."},{"key":"B39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2020.00004","article-title":"Traumatic events and PTSD among palestinian children and adolescents: the effect of demographic and socioeconomic factors.","volume":"11","author":"El-Khodary","year":"2020","journal-title":"Front Psychiatry."},{"key":"B40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"26","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chiabu.2015.01.007","article-title":"Childhood trauma, PTSD, and problematic alcohol and substance use in low-income, African-American men and women.","volume":"44","author":"Cross","year":"2015","journal-title":"Child Abuse Neglect."},{"key":"B41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"158","DOI":"10.1590\/s0101-81082004000200005","article-title":"Transtorno de estresse p\u00f3s-traum\u00e1tico em uma unidade de sa\u00fade de aten\u00e7\u00e3o prim\u00e1ria.","volume":"26","author":"Stein","year":"2004","journal-title":"Rev Psiquiatr Rio Grande do Sul."},{"key":"B42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1186\/S12888-016-0905-7","article-title":"Drinking to ease the burden: a cross-sectional study on trauma, alcohol abuse and psychopathology in a post-conflict context.","volume":"16","author":"Ertl","year":"2016","journal-title":"BMC Psychiatry."},{"key":"B43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"465","DOI":"10.1016\/j.addbeh.2011.01.006","article-title":"Drinking motives as mediators between PTSD symptom severity and alcohol consumption in persons with severe mental illnesses.","volume":"36","author":"O\u2019Hare","year":"2011","journal-title":"Addict Behav."},{"key":"B44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"36","DOI":"10.1097\/NNR.0000000000000009","article-title":"An integrative review of factors associated with telomere length and implications for biobehavioral research.","volume":"63","author":"Starkweather","year":"2014","journal-title":"Nurs. Res."},{"key":"B45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4135\/9781544393858.n66","article-title":"Diagnostic and statistical manual","author":"Goldberg","year":""},{"key":"B46","first-page":"169","article-title":"Telomere shortening and ageing of the immune system.","volume":"59","author":"Kaszubowska","year":"2008","journal-title":"J Physiol Pharmacol Off J Polish Physiol. Soc."},{"key":"B47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"33","DOI":"10.1016\/j.janxdis.2012.08.004","article-title":"The physical health consequences of PTSD and PTSD symptoms: A meta-analytic review.","volume":"27","author":"Pacella","year":"2013","journal-title":"J Anx Disord."},{"key":"B48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajp.2012.07.012","article-title":"Psychobiology of PTSD in the acute aftermath of trauma: integrating research on coping, HPA function and sympathetic nervous system activity.","volume":"6","author":"Morris","year":"2013","journal-title":"Asian J Psychiatry."},{"key":"B49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"878","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biopsych.2020.09.018","article-title":"Attachment style moderates polygenic risk for posttraumatic stress in united states military veterans: results from the national health and resilience in veterans study.","volume":"89","author":"Tamman","year":"2021","journal-title":"Biol Psychiatry."},{"key":"B50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1017\/s0033291720003839","article-title":"Polygenic prediction of PTSD trajectories in 9\/11 responders.","volume":"20","author":"Waszczuk","year":"2020","journal-title":"Psychol Med."},{"key":"B51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/15622975.2021.1907721","article-title":"Polygenic risk for traumatic loss-related PTSD in US military veterans: protective effect of secure attachment style.","author":"Asch","year":"2021","journal-title":"World J Biol Psychiatry."},{"key":"B52","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"195","DOI":"10.1590\/2237-6089-2018-0027","article-title":"Corticotropin-releasing factor receptor signaling and modulation: Implications for stress response and resilience.","volume":"42","author":"Vasconcelos","year":"2020","journal-title":"Trends Psychiatry Psychother."},{"key":"B53","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1125","DOI":"10.1017\/S0954579411000599","article-title":"Interactive effects of corticotropin releasing hormone receptor 1, serotonin transporter linked polymorphic region, and child maltreatment on diurnal cortisol regulation and internalizing symptomatology.","volume":"23","author":"Cicchetti","year":"2011","journal-title":"Dev Psychopathol."},{"key":"B54","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"671","DOI":"10.1002\/ajmg.b.32564","article-title":"Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in genes related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis as risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder.","volume":"174","author":"Carvalho","year":"2017","journal-title":"Am J Med Genet Part B Neuropsychiatr Genet."},{"key":"B55","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0192222","article-title":"Integration of neural and epigenetic contributions to posttraumatic stress symptoms: the role of hippocampal volume and glucocorticoid receptor gene methylation.","volume":"13","author":"McNerney","year":"2018","journal-title":"PLoS One."},{"key":"B56","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"251","DOI":"10.31887\/dcns.2011.13.2\/rbryant","article-title":"Post-traumatic stress disorder vs traumatic brain injury.","volume":"13","author":"Bryant","year":"2011","journal-title":"Dialog Clin Neurosci."},{"key":"B57","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"203","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bpsc.2019.09.006","article-title":"Opponent effects of hyperarousal and re-experiencing on affective habituation in posttraumatic stress disorder.","volume":"5","author":"McCurry","year":"2020","journal-title":"Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging."},{"key":"B58","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"401","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pnpbp.2017.07.021","article-title":"Impact of posttraumatic stress symptom dimensions on amygdala reactivity to emotional faces.","author":"Lieberman","year":"2017","journal-title":"Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry."}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Psychiatry"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyt.2022.835783\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,19]],"date-time":"2022-05-19T07:12:44Z","timestamp":1652944364000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyt.2022.835783\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,19]]},"references-count":58,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpsyt.2022.835783"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpsyt.2022.835783","relation":{},"ISSN":["1664-0640"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1664-0640","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,19]]},"article-number":"835783"}}