SynthesisAnnals of epidemiology2013
Correlates of cortisol in human hair: implications for epidemiologic studies on health effects of chronic stress.
Synthesis in Annals of epidemiology, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 92 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
92 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 201 citations in OpenAlex.
- Chronic stress in relation to clinical burnout: an integrative scoping review of definitions and measurement approaches.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review of studies utilizing hair glucocorticoids as a measure of stress suggests the marker is more appropriate for quantifying short-term stressors.Scientific reports · 2019Pooled it
- The association between maternal cortisol and depression during pregnancy, a systematic review.Archives of women's mental health · 2018Pooled it
- Dispositional optimism and open-label placebo responses in hair cortisol concentrations and psychological distress-A randomized controlled trial.Applied psychology. Health and well-being · 2026Trial
- Open-label placebos reduce hair cortisol concentrations and psychological distress - a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Hair Cortisol in Twins: Heritability and Genetic Overlap with Psychological Variables and Stress-System Genes.Scientific reports · 2017Trial
- Are psychosocial factors and menopause symptoms related to hair cortisol concentrations among midlife Latinas? Results from theComprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology · 2026Article
- Open-label placebo effects on psychological distress and hair cortisol in a randomized controlled trial - the moderating role of the five-factor personality traits.Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology · 2026Article
- Building social and structural connections for the prevention of opioid use among youth experiencing homelessness: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Bias in hair cortisol measures for psychological stress: Self vs. professional collection.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2026Article
- Stress-induced hair loss among students in a public Saudi University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2026Article
- Non-invasive physiological indicators of welfare in dairy cows.Animal welfare (South Mimms, England) · 2026Article
- Enzymatic digestion of hair increases extraction yields of cortisol: a novel two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for hair cortisol analysis.Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry · 2025Article
- A Dual Biomarker Approach to Stress: Hair and Salivary Cortisol Measurement in Students via LC-MS/MS.Analytical science advances · 2025Article
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions and the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis: A Systematic Review.Neurology international · 2024Review
- Acceptability and Feasibility of Using Hair Samples for Chronic Stress Measurement Among Transgender Women in Brazil.Brain and behavior · 2024Article
- Higher hair cortisol levels associated with previous cardiovascular events and cardiovascular risks in a large cross-sectional population study.BMC cardiovascular disorders · 2024Observational
- Neurobiological Implications of Chronic Stress and Metabolic Dysregulation in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Age and Hair Cortisol Levels as Predictors of SARS-CoV-2 Infection.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
32 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Assessment of cortisol concentrations in hair is one of the latest innovations for measuring long-term cortisol exposure. We performed a systematic review of correlates of cortisol in human hair to inform the design, analysis, and interpretation of future epidemiologic studies. Relevant publications were identified through electronic searches on PubMed, WorldCat, and Web of Science using keywords, "cortisol," "hair," "confounders," "chronic," "stress," and "correlates." Thirty-nine studies were included in this review. Notwithstanding scarce data and some inconsistencies, investigators have found hair cortisol concentrations to be associated with stress-related psychiatric symptoms and disorders (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder), medical conditions indicating chronic activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (e.g., Cushing's syndrome), and other life situations associated with elevated risk of chronic stress (e.g., shiftwork). Results from some studies suggest that physical activity, adiposity, and substance abuse may be correlates of hair cortisol concentrations. In contrast to measures of short-term cortisol release (saliva, blood, and urine), cigarette smoking and use of oral contraceptives appear not to be associated with hair cortisol concentrations. Studies of pregnant women indicate increased hair cortisol concentrations across successive trimesters. The study of hair cortisol presents a unique opportunity to assess chronic alterations in cortisol concentrations in epidemiologic studies.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.