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Epidemiological studies suggest that early stress results in persistent, transgenerational, psychological and physiological effects transmitted from parents to children, presumably via epigenetic changes. In a first-of-its-kind study examining the potential impact of severe stress during pregnancy across three generations, researchers conducted an epigenome-wide association study of 121 Brazilian teenagers (mean age, 14; 54% female) and their maternal grandmothers (mean age, 64)
The study focused on whether experiences of serious violence during women's pregnancies might affect DNA methylation patterns in their grandchildren. In retrospective interviews, almost all grandmothers (98%) reported some exposure to violence during their lifetimes;…