The physiological and behavioral development of an individual is a dynamic event involving the interaction between genes and experiences of the individual or the environment. There are some critical periods during which the brain is particularly sensitive to restructuring by environmental factors during the development of the perinatal period, early childhood and puberty periods. According to the latest data from animal studies, clinical and epidemiological studies, gene arrangements occur called `epigenetic mechanisms` due to adverse life experiences such as neglect, abuse or other stressors met in the critical early stages of life, which alter the expression of genes without altering the DNA sequences. In this way, early life experiences may leave chemical markers in the brain and affect the physical and mental health of the individual in later life. It is known that in these individuals harmful results such as cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, perceptual, mental and behavioral disorders can occur. In order to prevent these, and for individuals to have appropriate social and emotional functions, healthy development of neural systems, a stress-free environment from the womb and attentive and nurturing care should be provided in the early stages of life. To achieve this, preventing maltreatment, including neglect and abuse, against pregnant women and babies; providing adequate psychological support to mothers during pregnancy and the postpartum period; in order to increase the sensitivity of the mothers to the babies` signs and to increase the attachment behavior, it is important to support skin-skin contact with the infants and to encourage the mother in this respect.

Keywords: abuse, epigenetic, maltreatment, neglect, stress