Title
Early sexual abuse and low cortisol
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Psychiatry
Publication Date
2001-03-10
Document Type
Article
Subjects
Child; Child Abuse, Sexual; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Disciplines
Mental and Social Health | Psychiatric and Mental Health | Psychiatry | Psychiatry and Psychology
Abstract
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.
Source
Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2001 Feb;55(1):71-4.
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
Related Resources
PubMed ID
11235861
Repository Citation
King, Jean A.; Mandansky, Deborah; King, Susie; Fletcher, Kenneth E.; and Brewer, Judith, "Early sexual abuse and low cortisol" (2001). Systems and Psychosocial Advances Research Center Publications and Presentations. 128.
https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/psych_cmhsr/128
