Schindler Lena, Shaheen Mohammed, Saar-Ashkenazy Rotem, Bani Odeh Kifah, Sass Sophia-Helen, Friedman Alon, Kirschbaum Clemens
Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany.
Faculty of Public Health, Al-Quds University, P.O. Box 4006, 90612 Abu Dees, West Bank, Palestine.
Brain Sci. 2019 Jan 23;9(2):20. doi: 10.3390/brainsci9020020.
Due to its anti-glucocorticoid properties, the steroid hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) might play a role for coping with traumatic stress and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The majority of studies report elevated DHEA secretion and decreased cortisol/DHEA ratio associated with traumatic stress, however, contrasting results have also been published. One reason for this heterogeneity might be that in past studies, DHEA has been measured in plasma or saliva samples reflecting acute hormone levels. In comparison, the current study assessed the hair levels of DHEA and cortisol as long-term markers along with self-reported data on psychopathology and coping in 92 female adolescents aged 11⁻16 from the West Bank affected by the Israeli⁻Palestinian conflict. Results showed that trauma-exposed individuals had significantly higher DHEA levels ( = 0.013) and lower cortisol/DHEA ratios ( = 0.036) than participants from the non-trauma group. Furthermore, DHEA and cortisol/DHEA ratio emerged as associated with trauma load and timing, but not with coping. By applying the novel method of DHEA analysis from hair samples, this study adds to the growing literature on the interplay of DHEA, cortisol, traumatic stress and coping, and provides valuable starting points for further research.
由于具有抗糖皮质激素特性，类固醇激素脱氢表雄酮（DHEA）可能在应对创伤性应激和创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）中发挥作用。大多数研究报告称，与创伤性应激相关的DHEA分泌增加且皮质醇/DHEA比值降低，然而，也有相互矛盾的结果发表。这种异质性的一个原因可能是，在过去的研究中，DHEA是在反映急性激素水平的血浆或唾液样本中测量的。相比之下，本研究评估了92名年龄在11至16岁、受以色列-巴勒斯坦冲突影响的约旦河西岸女性青少年头发中的DHEA和皮质醇水平，将其作为长期标志物，并收集了关于精神病理学和应对方式的自我报告数据。结果显示，与非创伤组参与者相比，经历创伤的个体DHEA水平显著更高（P = 0.013），皮质醇/DHEA比值更低（P = 0.036）。此外，DHEA和皮质醇/DHEA比值与创伤负荷和时间相关，但与应对方式无关。通过应用从头发样本中分析DHEA的新方法，本研究为关于DHEA、皮质醇、创伤性应激和应对方式相互作用的不断增长的文献增添了内容，并为进一步研究提供了有价值的起点。
