Threat-related early adversity associated with impaired danger-safety discrimination in adolescents
This observational study of 168 youth examined whether different types of early life adversity (threat vs. deprivation) were associated with fear responses and accelerated biological aging. Threat-related adversity was associated with impaired discrimination between danger and safety cues during fear conditioning and with greater left amygdala activation to negative stimuli. However, the study found no evidence that fear responses explained the link between threat and accelerated biological aging (advanced puberty or epigenetic age).
What this changes
The finding has not established an approved change to our evidence assessment.
Source date: Sep 9, 2026 · Discovered: Sep 14, 2026 · Assessed: — · Research update
What it does not prove
- Limitations have not yet been verified. Read the primary source.
Extracted from supplied source material; model confidence is not a measured probability of correctness.
Study details
- Design
- Observational
- Sample size
- 168
- Duration
- —
- Population
- 168 youth
- Primary outcome
- Association between threat- and deprivation-related early life adversity (ELA) and fear responses across multiple levels of analysis (skin conductance response, self-reported fear, amygdala activation)
- Effect size
- —
- Significance
- Mixed
- Journal
- Journal of behavioral medicine
- Published
- Sep 9, 2026
Sources
Primary source
- Journal of behavioral medicine ↗Peer reviewed
Assessment history
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