Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40737748›Full record

ArticlePsychoneuroendocrinology2025

Association between childhood maltreatment, stressful life events and hair cortisol concentration in late midlife: A prospective investigation.

Frances A Champagne, Kellie Courtney, Ariel Bellatin, Melissa Miller, Cathy Spatz Widom

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. 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

5 authors.

Frances A ChampagneDepartment of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, USA. Electronic address: fchampagne@utexas.edu.
Kellie CourtneyPsychology Department, John Jay College, City University of New York, USA. Electronic address: kellie.courtney@jjay.cuny.edu.
Ariel BellatinDepartment of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, USA. Electronic address: arielbellatin@gmail.com.
Melissa MillerDepartment of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, USA. Electronic address: mpm2865@utexas.edu.
Cathy Spatz WidomPsychology Department, John Jay College, and Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, USA. Electronic address: widom.jjay@gmail.com.

Funding

THIRTY YEAR FOLLOW-UP OF NEGLECTED CHILDRENR01HD040774 · NICHD · UNIV OF MED/DENT OF NJ-NJ MEDICAL SCHOOL · PI WIDOM, CATHY SPATZ · 2000 to 2009
$8.7M
Child Maltreatment and Risk for Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's DiseaseR01AG058683 · NIA · JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE · PI WIDOM, CATHY SPATZ · 2018 to 2022
$7.6M
CHILDHOOD VICTIMIZATION AND LIFETIME REVICTIMIZATIONR01MH058386 · NIMH · UNIV OF MED/DENT OF NJ-NJ MEDICAL SCHOOL · PI WIDOM, CATHY SPATZ · 1999 to 2003
$2.8M
Child Abuse and Neglect, Chronic Stress, and Drug AbuseR01DA017842 · NIDA · UNIV OF MED/DENT OF NJ-NJ MEDICAL SCHOOL · PI WIDOM, CATHY SPATZ · 2004 to 2005
$386k
CHILD ABUSE AND ALCOHOL ABUSER21AA011108 · NIAAA · UNIV OF MED/DENT OF NJ-NJ MEDICAL SCHOOL · PI WIDOM, CATHY SPATZ · 1997 to 1998
–
CHILD ABUSE, RISK, AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS--DRUG ABUSER01DA010060 · NIDA · STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT ALBANY · PI WIDOM, CATHY SPATZ · 1996 to 1997
–
LONGTERM MENTAL OUTCOMES OF CHILD ABUSE &NEGLECTR01MH049467 · NIMH · STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT ALBANY · PI WIDOM, CATHY SPATZ · 1992 to 1994
–
CHILDHOOD VICTIMIZATION AND RISK FOR ALCOHOL PROBLEMSR03AA009238 · NIAAA · STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT ALBANY · PI WIDOM, CATHY SPATZ · 1992 to 1993
–
NIAAA NIH HHS R03 AA009238NIAAA NIH HHS R21 AA011108NIA NIH HHS R01 AG058683NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD040774NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA010060NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA017842NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH049467NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH058386
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Childhood maltreatment is a serious public health problem associated with both elevated and blunted cortisol measured in saliva and serum. Using a longitudinal, prospective study design, we aimed to determine whether childhood maltreatment predicts hair cortisol concentration (HCC), an index of stress physiology over extended periods. Individuals with documented histories of childhood maltreatment (ages 0-11 years) during the years 1967-1971 and a demographically matched group of children without those histories were followed up and interviewed over multiple time points from young adulthood until late midlife. Childhood maltreatment was assessed through review of official case records and retrospective self-reports in young adulthood. Stressful life events and lifetime traumas and victimization experiences were assessed at multiple interviews. Hair samples were collected at the last interview (2022-2023; Mage=59.4 years) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine HCC. Inverse probability weighting was used to account for attrition bias. Results indicated that individuals with documented histories of child maltreatment differed significantly from controls in HCC levels in late midlife, with overall history of childhood maltreatment, physical abuse, and neglect associated with elevated HCC. Self-reports of childhood physical abuse predicted heightened HCC. Stressful life events and trauma/victimization across all timepoints assessed as well as cumulative life stress/trauma/victimization also predicted heightened HCC in late midlife. We observed a significant interaction between documented childhood maltreatment and cumulative stressful life events and traumas predicting HCC in midlife. Findings reveal associations between early life stressors and HCC in late midlife and illustrate the complexity of studying long-term consequences of maltreatment based on documented (objective) versus self-report measures of childhood adversities.

Indexed as

Adult Survivors of Child AbuseChild AbuseHydrocortisoneStress, PsychologicalAdultAdverse Childhood ExperiencesAgedChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHairHumansInfantLife Change EventsLongitudinal StudiesMaleHydrocortisoneChildhood maltreatmentHair cortisolPhysical abuseSelf-reportStressful life events

Identifiers

PMID40737748
PMCPMC13222474

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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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.