ArticlePsychoneuroendocrinology2023
Association between trauma exposure and glucocorticosteroid concentration in hair during pregnancy.
Article in Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Gender-based violence and women's nutrition: a systematic review.BMJ global health · 2025Pooled it
- Observational
- Association of preconception maternal glucocorticoid concentrations with sex ratio at birth: Evidence from a prospective cohort study.Annals of epidemiology · 2025Article
- Associations Between Mothers' COVID-Related Perceived Stress and Children's Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms in Peru.Child psychiatry and human development · 2025Article
- The effect of maternal childhood maltreatment on postpartum mother-child bonding and maternal hair glucocorticoids.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2024Article
- The association between pre-pregnancy and first-trimester hair cortisol and preterm birth: a causal inference model.European journal of epidemiology · 2024Article
- Prenatal stress and hair cortisol in a sample of Latina women.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2024Article
- Recalibration of the stress response system over adult development: Is there a perinatal recalibration period?Development and psychopathology · 2023Review
- Correlates of preconception and pregnancy hair cortisol concentrations.Research square · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTraumatic events, including child abuse and intimate partner violence, are highly prevalent among women of child-bearing age. These traumatic experiences may impact maternal and offspring physical and mental health. A proposed mechanism for these effects is maternal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation which can be measured using hair corticosteroid levels.
aimsThis study aims to examine the association of child abuse and intimate partner violence exposure with HPA axis functioning, as measured by hair corticosteroid levels in a cohort of pregnant women.
methodsWe included data from 1822 pregnant women (mean gestational age 17 weeks) attending a prenatal clinic in Lima, Peru. We extracted cortisol and cortisone concentrations from hair samples using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Each participant provided 6-cm hair samples: 3 cm hair segment closest to the scalp reflecting HCC in early pregnancy (first three months), and 3-6 cm from the scalp reflecting HCC in pre-pregnancy (three months prior to conception). Multivariable linear regression procedures were used to assess the association between maternal trauma exposure and hair corticosteroid levels.
resultsOverall, women who experienced child abuse on average had higher levels of cortisol (p < 0.01) and cortisone (p < 0.0001) after adjustment for age, race, adult access to basic foods and hair treatments. For the hair segment reflecting early pregnancy, presence of child abuse was associated with a 0.120 log unit increase in cortisol and a 0.260 log unit increase in cortisone (p < 0.001). For the hair segment reflecting pre-pregnancy, a history of child abuse was associated with a 0.100 log unit increase in cortisol and a 0.180 log unit increase in cortisone (p < 0.01). Results also suggested an impact of intimate partner violence on HPA regulation; however, associations were not statistically significant after controlling for child abuse.
conclusionsThese results underscore the long-lasting impacts of exposure to adversity and trauma during early life. Our study findings will have implications for research investigating HPA axis function and long-term effects of violence on corticosteroid regulation.
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