Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2021 Apr;126:105150. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105150. Epub 2021 Jan 20.
Exposure to adversity is a risk factor for many mental and somatic health problems. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation is a potential mechanism linking adversity exposure and negative health outcomes. However, associations between adversity exposure and HPA-axis activity have been inconsistent. To understand the impact of adversity on the HPA-axis, we examined associations between early-life and recent adversity with hair cortisol concentration, an indicator of long-term systemic cortisol levels.
We included 1166 adult participants of the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA). Hair cortisol was measured in 3 cm of proximal hair, representing cortisol exposure during the previous 3 months. Childhood maltreatment, childhood negative life events, and recent negative life events were retrospectively assessed using interview and self-report questionnaires. Linear regression analyses were performed to assess the associations between childhood maltreatment, childhood life events and recent life events with hair cortisol. Associations with cumulative adversity exposure and with subtypes of childhood maltreatment, childhood and recent negative life events were also investigated, as were interaction effects between adversity and sex, age and psychopathology.
Childhood maltreatment (β = 0.034, p = 0.243), childhood life events (β = - 0.017, p = 0.544), and recent life events (β = - 0.021, p = 0.456) were not significantly associated with hair cortisol levels. Subtypes of childhood maltreatment and specific childhood and recent life events were not significantly associated with hair cortisol (p>0.05). There were no significant interaction effects between adversity exposure and sex, age or depression/anxiety diagnostic status on hair cortisol.
There were no significant associations between childhood and recent adversity with systemic cortisol levels in adults. Effects of early-life and adult adversity are complex and may not directly impact on long-term systemic cortisol levels as measured in hair.
逆境暴露是许多精神和躯体健康问题的一个风险因素。下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）轴失调是将逆境暴露与负面健康结果联系起来的潜在机制。然而，逆境暴露与 HPA 轴活性之间的关联并不一致。为了了解逆境对 HPA 轴的影响，我们研究了早期生活和近期逆境与头发皮质醇浓度之间的关系，头发皮质醇浓度是长期系统皮质醇水平的一个指标。
我们纳入了荷兰抑郁与焦虑研究（NESDA）中的 1166 名成年参与者。在 3 厘米的近端头发中测量头发皮质醇，代表过去 3 个月内皮质醇的暴露情况。使用访谈和自我报告问卷回顾性评估儿童期虐待、儿童期生活事件和近期生活事件。进行线性回归分析，以评估儿童期虐待、儿童期生活事件和近期生活事件与头发皮质醇之间的关系。还研究了累积逆境暴露与儿童期虐待、儿童期和近期生活事件的亚型之间的关系，以及逆境与性别、年龄和精神病理学之间的交互作用。
儿童期虐待（β=0.034，p=0.243）、儿童期生活事件（β=−0.017，p=0.544）和近期生活事件（β=−0.021，p=0.456）与头发皮质醇水平无显著相关性。儿童期虐待的亚型以及特定的儿童期和近期生活事件与头发皮质醇无显著相关性（p>0.05）。逆境暴露与性别、年龄或抑郁/焦虑诊断状态之间在头发皮质醇方面没有显著的交互作用。
在成年人中，儿童期和近期逆境与系统性皮质醇水平之间没有显著关联。早期生活和成人逆境的影响是复杂的，可能不会直接影响头发中测量的长期系统性皮质醇水平。
