Table 1.
Characteristics of the sample and of children who were victimized
| N | % Females | % Socioeconomic deprivationa | BMIb | Mean TL (s.e.) at age 5c | Mean TL (s.e.) at age 10c | % Telomere lengtheningd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumulative exposure | |||||||
| None | 128 | 46.9 | 30.5 | 17.0 | 1.11 (0.04) | 0.99 (0.03) | 16.4 |
| 1 | 69 | 53.6 | 36.2 | 18.4 | 1.04 (0.06) | 0.95 (0.03) | 17.4 |
| 2+ | 39 | 48.7 | 66.7 | 17.6 | 1.04 (0.07) | 0.84 (0.05) | 17.9 |
| Domestic violence | 40 | 60 | 65 | 18.3 | 1.09 (0.07) | 0.91 (0.05) | 27.5 |
| Bullying victimization | 57 | 50.9 | 50.9 | 17.9 | 1.02 (0.06) | 0.90 (0.04) | 17.5 |
| Physical maltreatment | 63 | 49.2 | 47.6 | 17.9 | 1.03 (0.06) | 0.88 (0.04) | 14.3 |
| Total sample | 236 | 49.2 | 38.1 | 17.5 | 1.08 (0.03) | 0.96 (0.02) | 16.9 |
| Original cohort | 2232 | 51.1 | 33.2 | 17.4 | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; TL, telomere length.
a
Socioeconomic deprivation was constructed from a standardized composite of household income, parents’ highest education and parents’ highest occupational grade. Deprivation was defined as the lowest tertile of the distribution in the entire cohort.
b
BMI was constructed from parents’ reports of children’s height and weight, and computed as weight (kg)/(height (m2)).
c
Mean TL at ages 5 and 10 years adjusted for sex, socioeconomic deprivation and BMI at age 10 years.
d
Defined as >15% increase in TL.