Determinants of hair cortisol concentration in children: A systematic review

Gray, N.A.; Dhana, Ashar; Vyver, L. Van der; Wyk, Jennifer C. Van; Khumalo, Nonhlanhla P.; Stein, Dan J.

doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.10.022

Cited by 134 publications

(153 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…For these reasons, the relationships between hair cortisol concentration and age require greater clarification (Gray et al, ). The hair cortisol concentrations of very young children have been reported to be particularly high, with decreases across early development (1–9 years of age; Dettenborn, Tietze, & Kirschbaum, Tietze, Kirschbaum & Stalder, ) and decreases by adolescence (Binz et al, ).…”

Section: Conceptual Developmental and Methodological Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the inconsistency in findings, it is hardly different from those found among salivary cortisol; in a review of the literature, Hjortskov, Garde Ørbæk, and Hansen () reported that there was insufficient evidence for an association between subjective reports of psychological stress and the cortisol response in field studies (Hjortskov et al, ). Whether these findings generalize specifically in the hair cortisol from children cannot be concluded given the need to better define the experience of stress in children, the duration and timing of stress, and the developmental stages in which the exposures take place (Gray et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Innovations in biological assessments of chronic stress through hair and nail cortisol: Conceptual, developmental, and methodological issues

Liu

Doan

2019

Developmental Psychobiology

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Much of the existing research on biological mechanisms underlying the stress experience has focused largely on moment‐to‐moment stress, rather than on chronic stress, an arguably more powerful predictor of long‐term outcomes. Recent methodological innovations have paved the way for new lines of research on chronic stress, with promising implications for developmental researchers and for those who study health and adversity. In particular, there are increasing studies that have focused on chronic stress assessments by relying on cortisol derived from hair and nails as a biomarker for chronic stress. In this paper, we provide an overview of their use, describe how hair and nail cortisol ought to be conceptualized differently across the lifespan, how developmental factors may impact its interpretation, and the circumstances under which its use may be more methodologically sensible. The purpose of this review is to provoke further discussion and encourage careful research designs that utilize hair and nail cortisol for understanding the effects of chronic stress exposure from the early developmental period, across adverse contexts, and in association with psychological and physical health outcomes.

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Section: Conceptual Developmental and Methodological Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Innovations in biological assessments of chronic stress through hair and nail cortisol: Conceptual, developmental, and methodological issues

Liu

Doan

2019

Developmental Psychobiology

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“…These included child age(Dettenborn, Tietze, Kirschbaum, & Stalder, 2012), sex(Dettenborn et al, 2012;Gray et al, 2018;Simmons et al, 2016), and season of hair sample collection as a proxy for sun exposure(Wester, van der Wulp, Koper, de Rijke, & van Rossum, 2016). These included child age(Dettenborn, Tietze, Kirschbaum, & Stalder, 2012), sex(Dettenborn et al, 2012;Gray et al, 2018;Simmons et al, 2016), and season of hair sample collection as a proxy for sun exposure(Wester, van der Wulp, Koper, de Rijke, & van Rossum, 2016).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Hair cortisol as a measure of the stress response to social adversity in young children

Bryson

Goldfeld

Price

et al. 2019

Developmental Psychobiology

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Hair cortisol has the potential to provide insight into young children's long-term stress response to social adversity. This study investigated associations between children's exposure to adversity from pregnancy to 2 years of age and their hair cortisol at 2 years, using a longitudinal cohort of children enriched for adversity risk, whose mothers were recruited during pregnancy through the "right@home" trial. Exposures were 18 maternal socioeconomic and psychosocial indicators of adversity, examined as concurrent, cumulative, and longitudinal exposure from pregnancy to 2 years. Hair samples were analyzed from 319/603 (53%) children participating at 2 years.Multivariable regression analyses for concurrent exposure showed three indicators of adversity were associated with higher hair cortisol (housing tenure of public rental, paying board or living rent free; not living in a safe place; higher maternal stress symptoms), one with lower hair cortisol (housing problems), and 14 indicators with no evidence of association. There was no evidence of association for the cumulative adversity count. Longitudinal exposure showed "intermittent" and "persistent" high maternal stress symptoms were associated with higher hair cortisol. The small number of associations identified suggests that hair cortisol is limited as a measure of stress response to social adversity in children at 2 years. K E Y W O R D Sadverse childhood experiences, child, hair cortisol, social adversity, stress

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“…Last, we lacked information on hair colour, texture, and frequency of washing, and so could not standardize HCC to these variables. However, most studies have not reported associations between hair characteristics with HCC in children of the same race/ethnicity, suggesting an immaterial impact on our results.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Childhood hair cortisol concentration and early teen cardiometabolic outcomes

et al. 2019

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Summary Objective To examine associations of hair cortisol concentration (HCC) in mid‐childhood and change in HCC from mid‐childhood to early adolescence (ΔHCC) with early adolescent adiposity and cardiometabolic biomarker measures. Methods In Project Viva, a pre‐birth cohort of mothers and children, we measured HCC in 599 white children in mid‐childhood and in 426 of these participants in early adolescence. We used multivariable linear regression to examine associations of mid‐childhood HCC and ΔHCC with BMI‐for‐age‐and‐sex z score, waist circumference, waist‐height ratio, dual X‐ray absorptiometry total and trunk fat mass, a metabolic risk z score, adiponectin, HOMA‐IR, high‐density lipoprotein, C‐reactive protein, interleukin‐6, leptin, and systolic blood pressure. Results Over a mean (SD) follow‐up of 5.2 (0.8) years, we did not find associations of mid‐childhood HCC with BMI‐for‐age‐and‐sex z score (β = 0.00 per 1‐interquartile range of HCC, 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.08 to 0.07), waist circumference (β = −0.04 cm, 95% CI, −0.83 to 0.74), metabolic risk z score (β = 0.04, 95% CI, −0.03 to 0.11), or other cardiometabolic measures except for an increase in log‐transformed HOMA‐IR (β = 0.10, 95% CI, 0.04‐0.17). ΔHCC was not associated with any outcome measures. Conclusions We found that mid‐childhood HCC was not associated with early adolescent adiposity or cardiometabolic biomarkers except for a slight increase in HOMA‐IR.

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Determinants of hair cortisol concentration in children: A systematic review

Cited by 134 publications

References 47 publications

Innovations in biological assessments of chronic stress through hair and nail cortisol: Conceptual, developmental, and methodological issues

Innovations in biological assessments of chronic stress through hair and nail cortisol: Conceptual, developmental, and methodological issues

Hair cortisol as a measure of the stress response to social adversity in young children

Childhood hair cortisol concentration and early teen cardiometabolic outcomes

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