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Cited by 33Stress Responses and CortisolPosttraumatic Stress Disorder ResearchChild Abuse and Trauma

Youth offspring of mothers with posttraumatic stress disorder have altered stress reactivity in response to a laboratory stressor

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Danielson, Carla Kmett, Hankin, Benjamin L., Badanes, Lisa S.·2015·Psychoneuroendocrinology
DOI 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.01.001PMC PMC4333024
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Abstract

Parental Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), particularly maternal PTSD, confers risk for stress-related psychopathology among offspring. Altered hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning is one mechanism proposed to explain transmission of this intergenerational risk. Investigation of this mechanism has been largely limited to general stress response (e.g., diurnal cortisol), rather than reactivity in response to an acute stressor. We examined cortisol reactivity in response to a laboratory stressor among offspring of mothers with a lifetime diagnosis of PTSD (n=36) and age- and gender- matched control offspring of mothers without PTSD (n=36). Youth (67% girls; mean age=11.4, SD=2.6) participated in a developmentally sensitive laboratory stressor and had salivary cortisol assessed five times (one pre-stress, one immediate post-stress, and three recovery measures, spaced 15min apart). Results were consistent with the hypothesis that offspring of mothers with PTSD would exhibit a dysregulated, blunted cortisol reactivity profile, and control offspring would display the expected adaptive peak in cortisol response to challenge profile. Findings were maintained after controlling for youth traumatic event history, physical anxiety symptoms, and depression, as well as maternal depression. This finding contributes to the existing literature indicating that attenuated HPA axis functioning, inclusive of hyposecretion of cortisol in response to acute stress, is robust among youth of mothers with PTSD. Future research is warranted in elucidating cortisol reactivity as a link between maternal PTSD and stress-related psychopathology vulnerability among offspring.

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  • Lower cortisol and blunted cortisol reactivity were present in preadolescent boys and girls with maternal PTSD, even after controlling for youth traumatic event history and mental health symptoms.

    “Lower cortisol and blunted cortisol reactivity were present in preadolescent boys and girls with maternal PTSD, even after controlling for youth traumatic event history and mental health symptoms 73 .”

    From Intergenerational transmission of trauma effects: putative role of epigenetic mechanisms (2018) · cites this paper as [73]

    The Results (§3.3) report a flat, blunted cortisol response in offspring of mothers with PTSD, with group differences maintained after controlling for youth traumatic event history, depressive symptoms, and physical anxiety symptoms. The Discussion (§4) describes low stress-provoked cortisol levels. However, the Methods (§2.1) give an age range of 9–15 years, so describing the entire sample as preadolescent is too narrow. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Al-Turkait FA Ohaeri JU 2008 Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health Child Adolesc Psychiat Ment Health 2 12 12 PMC2423353 18510770
  2. Pratchett LC Yehuda R 2014 Developmental trauma from a biophysical perspective Pat-Horenczyk R Irom D Vogel JM Helping Child Cope with Trauma: Individual, Family, and Community Perspectives 1 11 Routledge New York, NY
  3. Yehuda R Schmeidler J Giller EL Jr Siever LJ Binder-Brynes K 1998b Vulnerability to posttraumatic stress disorder in adult offspring of Holocaust survivors Am J Psychiat 155 1163 1171 9734537

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Authors
Danielson, C. K., Hankin, B. L., & Badanes, L. S.
Affiliations
  • Medical University of South Carolina (US)
  • University of Denver (US)
  • Metropolitan State University of Denver (US)
Corresponding author
Danielson, Carla Kmett
ORCID
Venue
Psychoneuroendocrinology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2015-03
Volume
53
Pages
170-178
ISSN
0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.01.001
PMC
PMC4333024
OpenAlex
W2152830214
Cited by
33
References
68
Citations by year
2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 1
FWCI
1.73
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Digital Commons - DU (University of Denver) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH077195)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA031285)
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (P50AA010761)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
Keywords
cortisol response, HPA axis dysregulation, intergenerational trauma, acute stress response, salivary cortisol, youth, blunted cortisol response, stress-related psychopathology
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Child, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Male, Middle Aged, Mother-Child Relations, Mothers, Pituitary-Adrenal System, Saliva, Stress, Physiological, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Stress, Psychological, Child of Impaired Parents

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