REDUCED EPIGENETIC AGE ACCELERATION LINKED TO LIFE SATISFACTION AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN PSYCHIATRIC CARE

This study investigated psychosocial and cognitive correlates of epigenetic age acceleration in adolescents (n = 48, 12-18 years, 27% female) receiving psychiatric care. Participants completed validated questionnaires assessing depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory), PTSD (UCLA), life satisfaction (Satisfaction with Life Scale), perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale), and verbal memory (Verbal Memory Learning Test, VMLT). Cannabis, alcohol, and nicotine use were recorded. Whole-blood DNA methylation was profiled, and GrimAge version 2 age acceleration was calculated. Bootstrap regression (R = 5000) revealed that higher life satisfaction scores were significantly associated with reduced age acceleration (β = -0.368, 95% CI: -0.697 to -0.050). No significant associations were observed for depressive symptoms (β = -0.175, 95% CI: -0.444 to 0.125), perceived stress (β = 0.106, 95% CI: -0.475 to 0.615), VMLT performance, or substance use (cannabis, alcohol, nicotine). A mediation analysis testing PTSD score as an intermediary between life satisfaction and age acceleration showed no significant indirect effect (β = 0.07, 95% CI: -0.02 to 0.23). These findings suggest that subjective well-being may uniquely buffer epigenetic aging in adolescents, independent of established risk factors such as trauma exposure and substance use.