Early sexual abuse and low cortisol

Post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health disorder precipitated by a stressful event that produces fear or terror in the individual. Post‐traumatic stress disorder studies, particularly in early sexual abuse, have been associated with neuroendocrine dysfunction, most notably the hypot...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPsychiatry and clinical neurosciences Vol. 55; no. 1; pp. 71 - 74
Main Authors King, Jean A., Mandansky, Deborah, King, Susie, Fletcher, Kennethe E., Brewer, Judith
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Melbourne, Australia Blackwell Science Pty 01.02.2001
Blackwell Publishing
Subjects
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child Abuse, Sexual - psychology
Child, Preschool
children
cortisol
Female
Humans
Hydrocortisone - blood
hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis
Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System - physiology
Medical sciences
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
sexual abuse
stress
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology
Victimology
Human
Preschool age
Short term
Hypothalamohypophysoadrenal axis
Steroid hormone
Morning
Central nervous system
Victimology
Hydrocortisone
Glucocorticoid
Stress
School age
Adrenal hormone
Female
Sexual abuse
Child
Antecedent
Comparative study
Brain (vertebrata)
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Summary:Post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health disorder precipitated by a stressful event that produces fear or terror in the individual. Post‐traumatic stress disorder studies, particularly in early sexual abuse, have been associated with neuroendocrine dysfunction, most notably the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. Since the literature on PTSD and neuroendocrine factors in young subjects has been sparse, the present studies were designed to look at the basal functioning of the HPA axis in response to early sexual abuse in girls aged 5 to 7 years. Morning salivary samples were collected for cortisol determination from subjects and controls who were scheduled for a physical exam by their pediatrician. The present study shows that subjects who had been abused within the last couple of months had significantly lower cortisol in comparison to control subjects (age, social economic status and race matched). The data suggest that children may have an impaired HPA axis after early trauma.
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ISSN:1323-1316
1440-1819
DOI:10.1046/j.1440-1819.2001.00787.x