Demographic and developmental patterns in telomere length across adolescence. Author Lauren Gaydosh, Colter Mitchell, Daniel Notterman, Lisa Schneper, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Brandon Wagner, Kalsea Koss, Sara McLanahan Publication Year 2020 Type Journal Article Abstract Telomere length is often used in studies of adults as a biomarker of cellular aging and an indicator of stress exposure. However, we know little about how telomeres change over time, particularly over the course of the important developmental period of adolescence. We use data on telomere length collected at two points in time spanning adolescence (Years 9 and 15) from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine longitudinal patterns ( = 1,654) in telomere length. We find a quantitatively small but significant average lengthening in telomere length across adolescence and little evidence of associations between telomere length and pubertal development. Keywords Humans, Telomere, Adult, Child, Biomarkers, Demography, Cellular Senescence, Adolescent, Telomere Shortening Journal Biodemography Soc Biol Volume 66 Issue 3-4 Pages 208-219 Date Published 2020 Jul-Sep ISSN Number 1948-5573 DOI 10.1080/19485565.2021.1983758 Alternate Journal Biodemography Soc Biol PMCID PMC8702463 PMID 34597213 PubMedPubMed CentralGoogle ScholarBibTeXEndNote X3 XML