Childhood trauma and hair cortisol response over the year following onset of a chronic life event stressor.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Childhood trauma may contribute to poor lifelong health in part through programming of the HPA-axis response to future life stressors. To date, empirical evidence shows an association of childhood trauma with dysregulation of the HPA-axis and blunted cortisol reactivity to acute stressors. Here, we conduct an initial examination of childhood trauma as a moderator of changes over time in perceived stress levels and HPA-axis response to a major chronic stressor in adulthood.

Methods

Participants were 83 maternal caregivers of children newly diagnosed with cancer who completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and who, over the year following their child's cancer diagnosis, had hair samples collected up to 7 times for the assessment of cortisol and completed m

SUBMITTER: Marsland AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11139569 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature