title: The lifetime experience of traumatic events is associated with hair cortisol concentrations in community-based children.
abstract: Adversity early in life can disrupt the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) and increase risk for negative health outcomes. Recent research suggests that cortisol in scalp hair represents a promising measure of HPAA function. However, little is known about the relationship between early exposure to traumatic events and hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) in childhood, a critical period of HPAA development. The current study measured HCC in scalp hair samples collected from 70 community-based children (14 males, mean age=9.50) participating in the Imaging Brain Development in the Childhood to Adolescence Transition Study (iCATS). Data were also collected on lifetime exposure to traumatic events and current depressive symptoms. Lifetime exposure to trauma was associated with elevated HCC; however, HCC was not associated with current depressive symptoms. Consistent with some prior work, males were found to have higher HCC than females, although results should be treated with caution due to the small number of males who took part. Our findings suggest that hair cortisol may represent a biomarker of exposure to trauma in this age group; however, further study is necessary with a particular focus on the characterization of trauma and other forms of adversity.
authors.affiliation: Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, and Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: jgs@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Julian G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Simmons
authors.affiliation: Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: pbadcock@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Paul B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Badcock
authors.affiliation: Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: swhittle@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Sarah L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Whittle
authors.affiliation: Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA. Electronic address: mbyrne@uoregon.edu.
authors.forename: Michelle L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Byrne
authors.affiliation: Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, and Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: lisa.mundy@mcri.edu.au.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mundy
authors.affiliation: Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, and Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: george.patton@rch.org.au.
authors.forename: George C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Patton
authors.affiliation: Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, and Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: craig.olsson@rch.org.au.
authors.forename: Craig A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Olsson
authors.affiliation: Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, and Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA. Electronic address: nallen3@uoregon.edu.
authors.forename: Nicholas B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Allen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000378:metabolism; D008016:Life Change Events; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000378:metabolism; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: BMI; Childhood Adversity; Cortisol; Depression; HPA; Hair; Trauma