Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41365018›Full record

ArticlePsychoneuroendocrinology2026

Linking hair cortisol and life stress: The role of stress reactivity and habituation.

Jari Planert, Tobias Stalder, Katharina Huthsteiner, George M Slavich, Tim Klucken, Johannes B Finke

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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.

Jari PlanertClinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany.
Tobias StalderClinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany.
Katharina HuthsteinerClinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany.
George M SlavichDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Tim KluckenClinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany.
Johannes B FinkeClinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany. Electronic address: johannes.finke@uni-siegen.de.

Funding

Neural, Inflammatory, and Genomic Mechanisms Underlying Risk for Depression in AdolescenceK08MH103443 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI SLAVICH, GEORGE MICHAEL · 2015 to 2018
$772k
NIMH NIH HHS K08 MH103443
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHair cortisol concentration (HCC) has emerged as a biomarker for long-term cortisol secretion, yet evidence linking HCC to self-reported life stress remains inconsistent. Although individual differences in acute stress reactivity as well as habituation may moderate this association, no research has examined how these processes interact to modulate the HCC-stress link. Moreover, most studies have relied on assessments of recent stressor exposure only, with limited attention to lifetime stressor exposure.

methodA final sample of 72 healthy individuals (53 women) who provided hair samples and underwent the Trier Social Stress Test three times over consecutive weeks, during which changes in salivary cortisol, cardiovascular parameters, and self-reported stress were assessed. The Stress and Adversity Inventory was administered to assess lifetime stressor exposure.

resultsAs hypothesized, preregistered analyses showed that greater lifetime stressor exposure and acute cortisol reactivity were both associated with elevated HCC. No association was found between HCC and stress habituation, and no moderation effects on the relation between HCC and lifetime stressor exposure were observed for reactivity or habituation. Exploratory analyses revealed a consistent link between early-life stressor exposure and HCC, whereas a positive association with adulthood stressors was evident only for individuals with less cortisol reactivity.

conclusionsThe results suggest that HCC reflects not only lifetime stressor exposure but is also influenced by individual differences in cortisol reactivity, highlighting its role as an integrative, yet complex biomarker of chronic stress. In contrast, the lack of an association with habituation indicates limited sensitivity to dynamic adaptation processes occurring over weeks.

Indexed as

Habituation, PsychophysiologicHydrocortisoneStress, PsychologicalAdultBiomarkersFemaleHairHumansHypothalamo-Hypophyseal SystemMaleMiddle AgedSalivaYoung AdultBiomarkersHydrocortisoneAcute stressChronic stressEarly-life adversityHair cortisolStress habituationTrier social stress test

Identifiers

PMID41365018
PMCPMC12998516

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LicenceCC BY
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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.