HPA Axis Stress Reactivity and Hair Cortisol Concentrations in Recently Detoxified Alcoholics and Healthy Controls With and Without Childhood Maltreatment

The study investigated the relationship between childhood maltreatment (CM), alcohol dependence (AD), and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning. It included 4 groups: AD patients with (n=29) and without (n=33) CM, and healthy controls with (n=30) and without (n=38) CM. Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) was used to measure cumulative cortisol secretion, and the Trier social stress test (TSST) assessed HPA axis response. Results showed that AD patients had higher HCCs and reduced adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol levels, regardless of CM history. No significant differences were found between AD patients with and without CM. However, healthy controls with CM had lower plasma cortisol levels than those without CM. The findings suggested that AD significantly affected HPA axis functioning, potentially overshadowing differences related to CM. Future research was recommended to explore biologically distinct subtypes of AD in relation to CM.