Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33017887›Full record

ArticlePsychiatry investigation2020

Hair Cortisol as a Marker of Intergenerational Heritage of War? A Study of Veterans and Their Offspring.

Ivone Castro-Vale, Elisabeth F C van Rossum, Sabine M Staufenbiel, Milton Severo, Rui Mota-Cardoso, Davide Carvalho

Open access · diamondAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Psychiatry investigation, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 42% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Genetic heritage of war: exploring transgenerational inheritance of PTSD and its molecular background.Mammalian genome : official journal of the International Mammalian Genome Society · 2026
    Review
  4. Mothers' psychopathology and their adult offspring's cortisol level in a Rwandan sample.The South African journal of psychiatry : SAJP : the journal of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa · 2025
    Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Ivone Castro-ValeDepartment of Clinical Neurosciences and Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Elisabeth F C van RossumDepartment of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Sabine M StaufenbielDepartment of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Milton SeveroDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Predictive Medicine and Public Health and Department of Medical Education and Simulation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Rui Mota-CardosoDepartment of Clinical Neurosciences and Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Davide Carvalhoi3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Universidade do Porto · PTErasmus MC · NLi3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto · PT

Funding

Associação dos Amigos do Serviço de Endocrinologia do Hospital de São JoãoNetherlands Brain Foundation F2011(1)-12Netherlands Organization of Scientific Research 91716453
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivePosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been associated with lower circulating cortisol levels in specific subgroups, which have also been found in the offspring of people with PTSD. The analysis of hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) is a recent methodology which is used to assess long-term systemic cortisol levels. We aimed to study veterans with war-related lifetime PTSD and their respective offspring with regards to HCC. We also studied the influence of lifetime major depressive disorder (MDD), war experiences, and childhood adversities on HCC in these groups.

methods31 male veterans with PTSD and 28 without PTSD and 69 adult offspring were studied. HCC were quantified by liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry.

resultsNo differences in HCC were found between veterans with and without PTSD, or between their respective offspring. Veterans without MDD showed a positive association between total war exposure and HCC. Veterans reporting more frequent childhood physical abuse had lower HCC. Veterans-with-PTSD's offspring with MDD had increased HCC compared to offspring without MDD. Offspring's exposure to more frequent childhood physical abuse was negatively associated with HCC in those without MDD.

conclusionHCC did not appear to constitute a marker of intergenerational heritage of war-related PTSD, except in the case of veteranswith-PTSD's offspring with MDD. Our data suggest that HCC is a marker of adult reported childhood physical abuse.

Indexed as

Childhood adversitiesHair cortisolIntergenerational transmissionMajor depressive disorderPosttraumatic stress disorderWar veterans

Identifiers

PMID33017887
PMCPMC7596280
OpenAlexW3090578278

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.