Socioeconomic status in children is associated with hair cortisol levels as a biological measure of chronic stress

The satisfaction of leisure horses’ behavioral needs has begun to be considered a priority, linked to the awareness that horses kept in single boxes may be deprived of social contact and the possibility to perform natural behaviors. Several factors may influence horses’ quality of life also in the paddock, and there are very few data on the effects of those variables on leisure horses’ chronic stress, measurable in terms of activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical axis. Therefore, managerial choices faced by owners and stables managers are only based on experience, common sense, and anecdotal beliefs. This study assessed and compared the chronic stress levels in leisure horses hosted in structures in the same geographic and climatic area with different daily routines to verify which management strategy could be the one that better contributes to achieving the welfare of horses. Forty-seven horses were divided into three groups homogeneous in terms of sex and age: Mixed management group (n = 12), Paddock group (n = 19), and Natural management group (n = 16). The hair cortisol concentration, a reliable marker of long-term stress, was analyzed in all the horses the same day at four time points of the year. In addition to management strategies, the influences of other variables (sex, age, coat color, and season) were evaluated. Independently from the management strategies, significantly higher hair cortisol values were detected in the autumn and summer, as well as in individuals older than 15 years. No significant differences were highlighted between the sexes or the coat colors. The comparison of the different management strategies showed that, in the summer, autumn, and winter, the hair cortisol levels were significantly lower in the Mixed management group horses than the Paddock group, highlighting that those subjects had better homeostasis. The Natural management group horses’ hair cortisol levels were intermediate between the other two groups of horses in all the seasons. Spending the night in the stables would seem to positively impact the well-being of the horses. These findings, if confirmed by further studies, may be helpful in enhancing horse welfare and assisting in managerial choice decision-making.

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Residential greenness and lower stress during pregnancy: hair cortisol levels as a chronic stress biomarker among pregnant women in Israel

ISEE Conference Abstracts ◽

10.1289/isee.2021.p-202 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Maya Levhar ◽

Anat Schonblum ◽

Liat Arnon ◽

Yaron Michael ◽

Liat Salzer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Chronic Stress ◽

Hair Cortisol ◽

Lower Stress ◽

Cortisol Levels ◽

Stress Biomarker

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Hair cortisol levels in pregnancy as a possible determinant of fetal sex: a longitudinal study

Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease ◽

10.1017/s2040174420001300 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Borja Romero-Gonzalez ◽

Jose A. Puertas-Gonzalez ◽

Raquel Gonzalez-Perez ◽

Marta Davila ◽

Maria Isabel Peralta-Ramirez

Keyword(s):

Low Birthweight ◽

First Trimester ◽

Hair Cortisol ◽

Negative Results ◽

Stress Vulnerability ◽

Biological Stress ◽

First Trimester Of Pregnancy ◽

Prenatal Distress ◽

Cortisol Levels ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Stress during pregnancy has been widely studied and associated to different variables, usually with negative results for the health of the mother and the newborn, such as having a higher risk of suffering postpartum depression, premature birth, obstetrics complications or low birthweight, among others. However, there are not many lines of research that study the role that the sex of the baby plays on this specific stress and vice versa. Thus, the main objective was to analyse the relationship between the sex of the offspring and the stress of the mothers in the first trimester of pregnancy. In order to achieve this, 108 women had their biological stress measured (trough hair cortisol levels) and psychological stress evaluated (the Prenatal Distress Questionnaire (PSS), the Perceived Stress Scale (PDQ) and the Stress Vulnerability Inventory (IVE)). The results revealed significant differences in maternal hair cortisol levels in the first trimester based on the sex of the baby they had given birth to (t = −2.04; P < 0.05): the concentration of the hormone was higher if the baby was a girl (164.36:54.45-284.87 pg/mg) than if it was a boy (101.13:37.95-193.56 pg/mg). These findings show that the sex of the future baby could be conditioned, among many other variables, by the mother´s stress levels during conception and first weeks of pregnancy. Further research is needed in this area to support our findings.

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The impact of preschool child and maternal attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms on mothers’ perceived chronic stress and hair cortisol

Journal of Neural Transmission ◽

10.1007/s00702-021-02377-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Anna Szép ◽

Nadine Skoluda ◽

Susan Schloß ◽

Katja Becker ◽

Ursula Pauli-Pott ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Chronic Stress ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Depressive Symptomatology ◽

Adhd Symptoms ◽

Hair Cortisol ◽

Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Child Adhd ◽

Maternal Adhd

AbstractProviding care for a child with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with parenting stress. Moreover, adults with elevated ADHD symptoms report increased perceived stress. Despite this, it has rarely been examined whether and how child and maternal ADHD symptoms may affect maternal perceived stress and the stress-sensitive hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. This study therefore investigated the possible impact of child and maternal ADHD symptoms on mothers' perceived chronic stress and hair cortisol concentration (HCC), while simultaneously considering the effects of child oppositional defiant/conduct disorder (ODD/CD) and maternal depressive symptomatology. In total, 124 mothers (35.96 ± 5.21 years) of preschool children were included. Maternal perceived stress, ADHD and depressive symptoms were assessed using self-report measures. Child ADHD symptoms were assessed using an interview and questionnaires completed by mothers and teachers. Additionally, mothers provided information about their children’s ODD/CD symptoms. Hair samples were taken from mothers to assess HCC. Child and maternal ADHD, child ODD/CD, and maternal depressive symptoms accounted for 50% of the variance in perceived chronic stress (F(4, 119) = 30.24; p < 0.01), with only maternal ADHD (β = 0.52, p < 0.01) and depressive symptoms (β = 0.49, p < 0.01) being uniquely significant. Maternal ADHD symptoms did not moderate the relationship between child ADHD symptoms and maternal perceived chronic stress (b = − 0.01; SE b = 0.17; t(5, 118) = − 0.05; p = 0.96). Mother’s age became the only significant predictor of maternal HCC (β = 0.29; p < 0.01). Based on these findings, practitioners are advised to be aware of and take into account possible maternal ADHD and depressive symptomatology and perceived chronic stress when treating children diagnosed with ADHD.

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Maternal influence and developmental trends in nonhuman primate hair cortisol levels

Neurotoxicology and Teratology ◽

10.1016/j.ntt.2014.04.050 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 43 ◽

pp. 91 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

K.S. Grant ◽

J. Worlein ◽

C. Kenney ◽

J. Meyer ◽

M. Novak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nonhuman Primate ◽

Maternal Influence ◽

Hair Cortisol ◽

Developmental Trends ◽

Cortisol Levels

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Hair cortisol levels determined at different body sites in the New Zealand White rabbit

World Rabbit Science ◽

10.4995/wrs.2012.1106 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Antonella Comin ◽

Valentina Zufferli ◽

Tanja Peric ◽

Federico Canavese ◽

Davide Barbetta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Zealand White Rabbit ◽

Hair Cortisol ◽

New Zealand White Rabbit ◽

Cortisol Levels

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Newborn infants’ hair cortisol levels reflect chronic maternal stress during pregnancy

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0200279 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. e0200279 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Borja Romero-Gonzalez ◽

Rafael A. Caparros-Gonzalez ◽

Raquel Gonzalez-Perez ◽

Pilar Delgado-Puertas ◽

Maria Isabel Peralta-Ramirez

Keyword(s):

Maternal Stress ◽

Newborn Infants ◽

Hair Cortisol ◽

Cortisol Levels

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Hair cortisol and its potential value as a physiological measure of stress response in human and non-human animals

Animal Production Science ◽

10.1071/an15622 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 57 (3) ◽

pp. 401 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

C. Burnard ◽

C. Ralph ◽

P. Hynd ◽

J. Hocking Edwards ◽

A. Tilbrook

Keyword(s):

Chronic Stress ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Sampling Site ◽

Future Research ◽

Hair Cortisol ◽

Hair Sampling ◽

Acute And Chronic Stress ◽

Lack Of Information ◽

Technical Validation ◽

Response To Stress

There is considerable interest in the potential for measuring cortisol in hair as a means of quantifying stress responses in human and non-human animals. This review updates the rapid advancement in our knowledge of hair cortisol, methods for its measurement, its relationship to acute and chronic stress, and its repeatability and heritability. The advantages of measuring cortisol in hair compared with other matrices such as blood, saliva and excreta and the current theories of the mechanisms of cortisol incorporation into the fibre are described. Hair cortisol as a measure of the physiological response to stress in a variety of species is presented, including correlations with other sample matrices, the relationship between hair cortisol and psychosocial stress and the repeatability and heritability of hair cortisol concentrations. Current standards for the quantification of hair cortisol are critically reviewed in detail for the first time and gaps in technical validation of these methods highlighted. The known effects of a variety of sources of hair cortisol variation are also reviewed, including hair sampling site, sex, age and adiposity. There is currently insufficient evidence to conclude that cortisol concentration in hair accurately reflects long-term blood cortisol concentrations. Similarly, there is a lack of information surrounding the mechanisms of cortisol incorporation into the hair. This review highlights several directions for future research to more fully validate the use of hair cortisol as an indicator of chronic stress.

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