Kids Exposed to Bullying, Violence May Age Faster

Atlanta Journal Constitution

New research shows that the genetic material, or DNA, of children who experienced violence shows the type of wear and tear that is normally associated with advancing age.

"Children who experience extreme violence at a young age have a biological age that is much older than other children," says researcher Idan Shalev. He is a post-doctoral researcher in psychology and neuroscience at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy in Durham, N.C.

Youth violence is widespread in the U.S. today. The CDC states that it's the second leading cause of death among people between the ages of 10 and 24, and that nationwide, about 20% of students in grades 9-12 were bullied in 2009.