Hair Cortisol Concentrations in High- and Low-Stress Mother-Daughter Dyads
January 2015
TLDR High-stress mothers had lower hair cortisol than low-stress mothers, and daughters' cortisol was linked to their stress response.
The study investigated hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) as a biomarker for chronic stress in 60 mother-daughter dyads, divided equally between high and low maternal stress groups. It found that high-stress mothers had lower HCC than low-stress mothers, and daughters' HCC was linked to their salivary cortisol reactivity. The association between mother-daughter HCC was influenced by negative parenting and children's internalizing symptoms. However, chronic stress and early caregiving did not mediate children's cortisol stability. Overall, the study suggested that HCC could be a useful marker for cortisol responses to chronic stress.