Diurnal cortisol patterns and stress reactivity in child Holocaust survivors reaching old age.
OBJECTIVE
Late-life implications of early traumatic stress for the adreno-cortical system were examined in a sample of 133 child survivors of the Holocaust, who were subjected to Nazi persecution during infancy.


METHODS
In a non-convenience sample of child survivors, born between 1935 and 1944, basal circadian cortisol release and cortisol reactivity to a stressor were assessed.


RESULTS
Age, parental loss during the Holocaust, current depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and physical illness were not associated with differences in basal diurnal cortisol levels. Neuro-endocrine effects, however, were found in stress reactivity through elevated cortisol levels in male respondents in the youngest age group (born 1941-1945), and in male respondents suffering from PTSD-related functional impairment.


CONCLUSIONS
The youngest survivors of Nazi persecution show late-life effects of traumatic stress during early childhood, evidenced by the early onset of differential neuroendocrine pathways to stress-regulating strategies.
van der Hal-Van Raalte
Elisheva A M
EA
AMCHA-the National Israel Center for Psycho-Social Support of Survivors of the Holocaust and Second Generation, Israel.
Bakermans-Kranenburg
Marian J
MJ
van Ijzendoorn
Marinus H
MH
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D017767:Holocaust / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*
D006854:Hydrocortisone