ArticleJournal of affective disorders2023
Cortisol reactivity to a laboratory stressor predicts increases in depressive symptoms in perinatal and nulliparous women during population-level stress.
Article in Journal of affective disorders, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Salivary cortisol reactivity to stress in pregnancy: A scoping review.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2026Article
- Associations between attentional disengagement from distressed infant faces and cortisol reactivity are moderated by depressive symptoms in pregnant women: an eye-tracking study.Archives of women's mental health · 2026Article
- Using natural language processing to identify patterns associated with depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.Journal of affective disorders · 2025Article
- Predicting acute stress recovery: A resilience index of physiological responses to Trier Social Stress Test.International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHPArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundResearch suggests a link between stress and depression, especially in high-risk groups. The perinatal period is known as a time of increased risk for depression and pregnancy has been associated with alterations in cortisol levels; however, limited research has assessed cortisol reactivity during pregnancy. Finally, no studies have yet examined whether cortisol reactivity predicts later depressive symptoms during a population-level stressor, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
methodsThe current study examined whether cortisol reactivity in perinatal and nulliparous women a year before the onset of COVID-19 predicted increases in depressive symptoms during the initial stage of the pandemic. Participants were 68 women (33 pregnant, M
resultsAnalyses showed that cortisol reactivity at baseline predicted increases in depressive symptoms at follow-up. Perinatal and nulliparous women did not differ in this association. LIMITATIONS: The present study was limited by a moderate sample size and heterogeneity in terms of gestational week, restricting inferences about specific stages of pregnancy.
conclusionsOur findings suggest that cortisol reactivity to a laboratory stressor is a biomarker of risk for increased depressive symptoms during ecological stress in women. Biomarkers like these increase our understanding of depression risk and may help to identify individuals in need of interventions.
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Registered trials
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