Abstract:
Potentially traumatic experiences have been associated with chronic diseases. Epigenetic
mechanisms, including DNA methylation (DNAm), have been proposed as an explanation for this
association. We examined the association of experiences of trauma with epigenome-wide DNAm
among African American mothers (n = 236) and their children aged 3–5 years (n = 232; N = 500),
using the Life Events Checklist-5 (LEC) and Traumatic Events Screening Inventory—Parent Report
Revised (TESI-PRR). We identified no DNAm sites significantly associated with potentially traumatic
experience scores in mothers. One CpG site on the ENOX1 gene was methylome-wide-significant in
children (FDR-corrected q-value = 0.05) from the TESI-PRR. This protein-coding gene is associated
with mental illness, including unipolar depression, bipolar, and schizophrenia. Future research should
further examine the associations between childhood trauma, DNAm, and health outcomes among
this understudied and high-risk group. Findings from such longitudinal research may inform clinical
and translational approaches to prevent adverse health outcomes associated with epigenetic changes.
