The Association between Hair Cortisol and Self-Reported Symptoms of Depression in Pregnant Women

Wikenius, Ellen; Moe, Vibeke; Kjellevold, Marian; Smith, Lars; Lyle, Robert; Waagbø, Rune; Page, Christian M.; Myhre, Anne Margrethe

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0161804

Cited by 26 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Although results from one empirical study (Mayer et al, ) and tentative findings from a recent meta‐analysis that included seven studies and a limited sample of 279 participants (Stalder et al, ) have failed to find an association between hair cortisol and depressive measures, the results from the current study are in accord with numerous studies that found an association between hair cortisol and depressive symptoms (e.g. Abell et al, ; Dettenborn, Tietze, Kirschbaum, & Stalder, ; Faresjö et al, ; Stalder et al, ; Wikenius et al, ) and the prevailing models that HPA axis hypersecretion is associated with depression (Miller et al, ). Importantly, however, posthoc analyses revealed that the association between HPA axis functioning and depressive symptoms was not significant among younger adolescents (see Supporting Information Material).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

The interactive association of proximal life stress and cumulative HPA axis functioning with depressive symptoms

et al. 2019

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Background: Stress is consistently implicated in depression. Using a vulnerabilitystress framework, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis may be one factor affecting the stress-depression association. However, the interactive influence of recent life stress and HPA axis functioning on depressive symptoms remains unclear.It is particularly important to understand the synergistic association during adolescence, as this is a developmental period associated with a high risk for depression.Methods: A community sample of 58 adolescents (67% female, 59% Caucasian; mean age, 15.07 years) participated. Adolescents completed a well-validated measure of depressive symptoms and a structured life events interview to assess recent life stress. Hair cortisol concentration was obtained to measure cumulative exposure to HPA axis functioning.Results: Recent life stress and cumulative HPA axis exposure measured through hair cortisol were directly associated with higher depressive symptoms. Further, cumulative HPA axis exposure moderated the relationship between recent life stress and depressive symptoms. The recent life stress-depression association occurred for adolescents who experienced average and high, but not low, levels of cumulative HPA axis exposure. Conclusions:The current study builds on prior work and finds both a direct and interactive association of recent life stress and cumulative HPA axis functioning with depressive symptoms during adolescence. Identifying youth who experience high levels of HPA axis exposure is important to prevent the onset of depression.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

The interactive association of proximal life stress and cumulative HPA axis functioning with depressive symptoms

et al. 2019

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“…Cumulative childhood stress and cumulative stress in adulthood ( r s = .36, p < .01) as well as stress per adult year ( r s = .42, p < .01) showed positive rank order correlations of moderate strength. Some prior work has noted no association between age and maternal cortisol, (e.g., Wikenius et al 2016) and a positive association between BMI and maternal cortisol (e.g., Berglund et al 2016). However, similar to work from Finegood et al (2016) and Stiratt et al (2016), maternal cortisol level was negatively associated with maternal age ( r s = −.26, p = .01) and pre-pregnancy BMI ( r s = −.22, p = .04) among our participants.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Childhood stress and birth timing among African American women: Cortisol as biological mediator

Gillespie

Christian

Alston

et al. 2017

Psychoneuroendocrinology

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Preterm birth (PTB) occurs among 1:11 U.S. white women and 1:7.5 African American women and is a significant driver of racial disparities in infant mortality. Maternal stress is the most common clinical phenotype underlying spontaneous PTB. Specific patterns of stress and biological mediators driving PTB remain unclear. We examined the effect of childhood stress on birth timing among African American women and evaluated maternal cortisol elevation as a biological mediator. A prospective observational design was employed, with a single study visit at 28–32 weeks gestation and medical record review. The Stress and Adversity Inventory was administered, which provides a comprehensive estimate of childhood stress, stress in adulthood, and five core characteristic subscales (interpersonal loss, physical danger, humiliation, entrapment, role disruption). Venipuncture was performed between 11:00am and 4:00pm and plasma cortisol quantified by ELISA. Analyses controlled for stress in adulthood. Among a final sample of 89, cumulative childhood stress predicted birth timing (p = .01). The association was driven by stress related to interpersonal loss and physical danger, with support for maternal cortisol as a biological mediator (ab = 0.02, 95% CI [0.001, 0.045]; ab = 0.02, 95% CI [0.001, 0.043], respectively). Results were similar, overall, in sub-group analyses among spontaneously laboring women (n = 53); however, role disruption arose as an additional predictor, as mediated by cortisol elevations (ab = 0.03, 95% CI [0.005, 0.074]). Of note, cortisol was no longer supported as a mediator linking physical danger to birth timing after adjusting for sleep quality and hours awake prior to venipuncture (ab = 0.02, 95% CI [−0.0001, 0.046]). We provide preliminary evidence that, independent of stress in adulthood, childhood stress of specific core characteristics may shape birth timing, with cortisol elevation as a biological mediator. Further investigation is warranted and may bolster the development of biologically-informed screening tools for the prediction and targeted prevention of stress-related PTB.

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“…Indeed, self‐reported prenatal stress and anxiety, and even stress experienced in childhood such as preconception stress, trauma exposure, and childhood physical and/or sexual abuse have all been associated with elevated hair cortisol concentrations during pregnancy (Hoffman, Mazzoni, Wagner, Laudenslager, & Ross, ; Kalra, Einarson, Karaskov, Van Uum, & Koren, ; Orta et al, , ; Schreier et al, ; Swales et al, ). On the other hand, no associations were found between hair cortisol concentrations and maternal depression in the second trimester, pregnancy‐related anxiety, somatization, or stress symptoms in other research (Braig et al, ; Kramer et al, ; Scharlau et al, ; Wikenius et al, ). A recent review concluded that associations between mild to moderate prenatal stress and hair cortisol concentrations are inconsistent (Mustonen et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Prenatal maternal hair cortisol concentrations are related to maternal prenatal emotion dysregulation but not neurodevelopmental or birth outcomes

Conradt

Shakiba

Ostlund

et al. 2020

Developmental Psychobiology

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Hair cortisol concentrations measured during pregnancy have emerged as a novel biomarker for prenatal stress exposure. However, associations between prenatal stress and distress, broadly defined, and hair cortisol concentrations during pregnancy are inconsistent. We examined relations among hair cortisol concentrations during the third trimester with (a) emotion dysregulation and (b) detailed measures of maternal prenatal stress. We also examined the predictive validity of maternal hair cortisol during pregnancy for adverse newborn health outcomes. Cortisol concentrations were derived from 6 cm of hair during the third trimester of pregnancy. Mothers reported on their emotion dysregulation and stress at this time. A standardized newborn neurobehavioral exam was conducted shortly after birth and newborn birth weight and gestational age were assessed from medical records. All hypotheses were preregistered on the Open Science Framework (osf.io/279ng). High levels of emotion dysregulation, but not stress, were predictive of high hair cortisol concentrations. Maternal prenatal BMI mediated the relation between maternal prenatal emotion dysregulation and hair cortisol concentrations. There was no association between hair cortisol and infant birth outcomes. This research supports the notion that transdiagnostic markers of psychopathology are important correlates of hair cortisol concentrations during pregnancy.

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The Association between Hair Cortisol and Self-Reported Symptoms of Depression in Pregnant Women

Cited by 26 publications

References 43 publications

The interactive association of proximal life stress and cumulative HPA axis functioning with depressive symptoms

The interactive association of proximal life stress and cumulative HPA axis functioning with depressive symptoms

Childhood stress and birth timing among African American women: Cortisol as biological mediator

Prenatal maternal hair cortisol concentrations are related to maternal prenatal emotion dysregulation but not neurodevelopmental or birth outcomes

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