Psychological Science· 2026Q1
Do Children Who Develop Faster Go on to Age Faster in Midlife?
- 0citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Children with faster physical development (e.g., earlier growth spurts, higher adiposity rebound) showed accelerated biological aging in midlife, while faster social development was linked to slower midlife aging.
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Key points
- Fast physical development in childhood correlates with faster midlife biological aging.
- Early menarche in girls is associated with accelerated midlife aging.
- Fast social development in childhood correlates with slower midlife aging.
- The study quantified physical development using six metrics and biological aging across multiple organ systems.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
We quantified the association between rate of child development and pace of midlife aging in the Dunedin Study and the Add Health Study. Physical development was quantified in Dunedin participants ( N = 1,037; age 45) using a composite comprised of (1) birth weight for gestational age, (2) toddler weight gain, (3) timing of behavioral milestones, (4) adiposity-rebound age, (5) timing of adolescent growth spurt, and (6) tempo of adolescent growth spurt. Social development was quantified using the Vineland Social Maturity Scale. Multi-organ-system (cardiovascular, metabolic, renal, immune, dental, pulmonary) longitudinal biological aging was used as the adult outcome. Fast physical development in childhood was associated with faster midlife aging. This was replicated in Add Health ( N = 1,537; age range = 33–44 years), where girls who menstruated earlier had faster midlife aging. By contrast, faster social development in childhood was associated with slower midlife aging. Findings contribute initial empirical evidence characterizing the link between child-development rate and adult aging in humans.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Psychological Science, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
Neuropsychology and Physiological PsychologyPsychology