Overview
- A peer-reviewed study in Health Psychology tracked 121 youths from age 13 to 30 and found that higher early aggression predicted an older biological age at 30.
- Biological age was estimated using about a dozen blood-based biomarkers via the Klemera–Doubal approach and PhenoAge, methods that better forecast health risk than chronological age.
- The association held after accounting for childhood health, family income, gender and adolescent body shape.
- Analyses point to continuing relationship difficulties—such as father–adolescent conflict and punitive behavior toward close peers—as the pathway linking early aggression to accelerated aging.
- Stronger signals appeared among males and lower-income participants, with higher BMI at 30 observed, and the authors emphasize the findings are correlational rather than proof of causation.