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We present the development of the first procedure for hair cortisol measurement through an automated method. Hair samples were obtained from 286 individuals. After cortisol extraction, samples were measured in a Siemens Immulite 2000 (Gwynedd, UK) automated chemoluminiscent immunoassay analyzer. Normal reference values were obtained from hair cortisol levels measured in 213 healthy individuals with low levels of stress. Hair cortisol concentration median was 55 pg/mg hair (2.5–97.5 percentile (40–128)) in healthy individuals with low levels of stress and 250 pg/mg hair (range 182–520) in stressed individuals. No significant differences were observed in hair cortisol levels between subjects with and without dye (40 (40–107) and 40 (40–155) pg/mg hair, respectively; p = 0.128). The novel procedure presented here shows an adequate analytical performance.

Background Over recent decades, chronic stress at an early age has become a worrying health problem in children. We seek to evaluate an intervention involving mindfulness‐based practices and prosocial activities in 7‐ to 8‐year‐old children. Methods Stress levels were determined using hair cortisol concentration (HCC), and social integration was measured by means of a sociogram. The program had previously proven to be effective in decreasing salivary cortisol levels and in favouring social integration in children. A total of 35 children participated in the study: 18 constituted the intervention group and 17 the wait‐list group. In both groups, HCC and social integration were evaluated before and after the intervention conducted throughout an entire school year. Results The experimental group showed a significant reduction in HCC, as well as significant enhancement of social integration levels, whereas no changes were observed in the wait‐list group. Conclusions This is the first research to show that HCC, a reliable neuroendocrine indicator, decreased as a result of a mindfulness‐based program. This successful outcome adds new evidence to previous findings regarding the reduction of chronic stress in children following participation in this program.

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