IngentaConnect Diurnal cortisol patterns and stress reactivity in child Holocaus...

Authors: van der Hal-Van Raalte, Elisheva A.M.¹; Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian²; van IJzendoorn, Marinus²

Source: Aging and Mental Health, Volume 12, Number 5, September 2008 , pp. 630-638(9)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

Abstract:

Objectives: Late-life implications of early traumatic stress for the adreno-cortical system were examined in a sample of 133 child survivors of the Holocaust, who were subjected to Nazi persecution during infancy. Method: In a non-convenience sample of child survivors, born between 1935 and 1944, basal circadian cortisol release and cortisol reactivity to a stressor were assessed. Results: Age, parental loss during the Holocaust, current depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and physical illness were not associated with differences in basal diurnal cortisol levels. Neuro-endocrine effects, however, were found in stress reactivity through elevated cortisol levels in male respondents in the youngest age group (born 1941-1945), and in male respondents suffering from PTSD-related functional impairment. Conclusion: The youngest survivors of Nazi persecution show late-life effects of traumatic stress during early childhood, evidenced by the early onset of differential neuroendocrine pathways to stress-regulating strategies.

Keywords: early childhood traumatic stress; neuroendocrine pathways; late life stress regulation; cortisol; PTSD; Holocaust

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/13607860802343134

Affiliations: 1: AMCHA-the National Israel Center for Psycho-Social Support of Survivors of the Holocaust and Second Generation, Israel 2: Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

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Diurnal cortisol patterns and stress reactivity in child Holocaust survivors reaching old age