Cited by 405Child Abuse and TraumaStress Responses and CortisolPsychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending

Attenuation of cortisol across development for victims of sexual abuse

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Trickett, Penelope K., Noll, Jennie G., Susman, Elizabeth J., Shenk, Chad E., Putnam, Frank W.·2010·Development and Psychopathology

Abstract

Inconsistencies exist in literature examining hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activity in children and adults who have experienced childhood abuse. Hence, the extent and manner to which childhood abuse may disrupt HPA axis development is largely unknown. To address these inconsistencies, the developmental course of nonstress cortisol in a long-term longitudinal study was assessed at six time points from childhood through adolescence and into young adulthood to determine whether childhood abuse results in disrupted cortisol activity. Nonstress, morning cortisol was measured in 84 females with confirmed familial sexual abuse and 89 nonabused, comparison females. Although dynamically controlling for co-occurring depression and anxiety, hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) showed that relative to comparison females, the linear trend for abused females was significantly less steep when cortisol was examined across development from age 6 to age 30, t (1, 180) = −2.55, p < .01, indicating attenuation in cortisol activity starting in adolescence with significantly lower levels of cortisol by early adulthood, F (1, 162) = 4.78, p < .01. As a more direct test of the attenuation hypothesis, supplemental HLM analyses of data arrayed by time since the disclosure of abuse indicated that cortisol activity was initially significantly higher, t (1, 425) = 2.18, p < .05, and slopes were significantly less steep t (1, 205) = −2.66, p < .01, for abused females. These findings demonstrate how the experience of childhood abuse might disrupt the neurobiology of stress, providing some support for the attenuation hypothesis that victims of abuse may experience cortisol hyposecretion subsequent to a period of heightened secretion.

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  • The FGDS prospective study assessed cortisol levels over six time points across development and showed high circulating morning cortisol concentrations in childhood followed by marked hyposecretion in adulthood approximately 15 years later, even after controlling for other types of trauma, demographics, and time-varying anxiety and depression.

    “However, the FGDS prospective study assessed cortisol levels over six time points across development and showed high circulating morning cortisol concentrations in childhood followed by a marked hyposecretion in adulthood approximately 15 years later, even after the authors controlled for other types of trauma, demographics, and time-varying anxiety and depression (Trickett et al. 2010).”

    From Child Sexual Abuse as a Unique Risk Factor for the Development of Psychopathology: The Compounded Convergence of Mechanisms (2021) · cites this paper as Trickett et al. 2010

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  • Survivors of ELAb transition from hyper- to hypocortisolimia in early adulthood.

    “prospective research indicates that survivors of ELAb transition from hyper- to hypocortisolimia in early adulthood.(75)”

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Gandia A Bolufer P Rodriguez A Antonio P Salivary cortisol increases with age in children Journal of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Biochemistry 1990 28 655
  2. Spielberger CD Gorsuch R Lushene R Vagg PR Jacobs GA Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory 1983 Consulting Psychologists Press Palo Alto, CA

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Authors
Trickett, P. K., Noll, J. G., Susman, E. J., Shenk, C. E., & Putnam, F. W.
Affiliations
  • University of Southern California (US)
  • Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (US)
  • Pennsylvania State University (US)
Corresponding author
Noll, Jennie G.
Venue
Development and Psychopathology
Published
2010-01-26
Volume
22
Issue
1
Pages
165-175
ISSN
  • 0954-5794 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-2198
OpenAlex
W2004745276
Cited by
405
References
77
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 25 · 2021: 29 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 43 · 2017: 32 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 39 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 29 · 2012: 17
FWCI
28.54
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Development and Psychopathology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH048330)
  • National Cancer Institute (ACYF 90CA1686L)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (T32DK063929)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R03HD045346)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
Keywords
child sexual abuse, cortisol, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, stress response, depression, anxiety
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Analysis of Variance, Child, Child Abuse, Sexual, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Life Change Events, Longitudinal Studies, Pituitary-Adrenal System, Surveys and Questionnaires, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Stress, Psychological, Crime Victims

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