Hair cortisol concentrations among youth in Ukraine: Associations with war experiences and post-traumatic-stress symptoms

IF 3.4 2区医学 Q2 ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM

Psychoneuroendocrinology Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-23 DOI:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2026.107761

Ann T. Skinner , Iuliia Pavlova , Jennifer Godwin , Emily B. Reilly , Anastasia Georgiades

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

To explore relations between cortisol response measured by hair cortisol concentrations (HCC), war exposure (e.g., air alarms and explosions), and psychological distress for youth living in Ukraine during the current invasion.

Methods

221 youth (Mage = 18.9 years; 20 % male) living in 5 regions of Ukraine from November 2023-March 2024 provided hair samples to assess HCC and self-report data measuring post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTS symptoms). Youth’s region of residence was matched to air alarm and explosion data.

Results

Consistent with prior research examining HPA axis activity during chronic stress, we found that exposure to more air alarms and explosions were each associated with lower HCC. Contrary to our hypotheses, we found no relation between HCC and PTS symptoms.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that youth experiencing chronic war exposure may adapt by down-regulating their cortisol production, which could generate long-term health problems such as immune dysregulation or increased inflammatory activity.

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头发皮质醇浓度在乌克兰青年：与战争经历和创伤后应激症状的关系

目的探讨毛发皮质醇浓度测量的皮质醇反应（HCC）、战争暴露（如空气警报和爆炸）以及当前入侵期间生活在乌克兰的年轻人的心理困扰之间的关系。方法2023年11月至2024年3月，生活在乌克兰5个地区的221名青年（年龄18.9岁，男性占20% %）提供了头发样本，用于评估HCC和测量创伤后应激症状（PTS）的自我报告数据。年轻人的居住区域与空气警报和爆炸数据相匹配。结果与先前关于慢性应激下HPA轴活动的研究一致，我们发现暴露于更多的空气警报和爆炸均与较低的HCC相关。与我们的假设相反，我们没有发现HCC和PTS症状之间的关系。结论长期战争暴露的青少年可能通过下调皮质醇分泌来适应战争环境，这可能导致免疫失调或炎症活性增加等长期健康问题。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Psychoneuroendocrinology 医学-精神病学

CiteScore

7.40

自引率

8.10%

发文量

268

审稿时长

66 days

期刊介绍： Psychoneuroendocrinology publishes papers dealing with the interrelated disciplines of psychology, neurobiology, endocrinology, immunology, neurology, and psychiatry, with an emphasis on multidisciplinary studies aiming at integrating these disciplines in terms of either basic research or clinical implications. One of the main goals is to understand how a variety of psychobiological factors interact in the expression of the stress response as it relates to the development and/or maintenance of neuropsychiatric illnesses.