Changes in hair cortisol in a New Zealand community sample during the Covid-19 pandemic
- Autor(en)
- Elizabeth Broadbent, Urs Nater, Nadine Skoluda, Norina Gasteiger, Ru Jia, Trudie Chalder, Mikaela Law, Kavita Vedhara
- Abstrakt
Background: Evidence suggests that countries with higher Covid-19 infection rates experienced poorer mental health. This study examined whether hair cortisol reduced over time in New Zealand, a country that managed to eliminate the virus in the first year of the pandemic due to an initial strict lockdown. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study assessed self-reported stress, anxiety and depression and collected hair samples that were analyzed for cortisol, across two waves in 2020. The sample consisted of 44 adults who each returned two 3 cm hair samples and completed self-reports. Hair cortisol was assessed per centimetre.
Results: Hair cortisol reduced over time (F (5, 99.126) = 10.15, p <.001, partial eta squared = 0.19), as did anxiety and depression. Higher hair cortisol was significantly associated with more negative life events reported at wave two (r = 0.30 segment 1, r = 0.34 segment 2, p <.05), but not anxiety or depression. Conclusions: Strict virus control measures may not only reduce infection rates, but also reduce psychological distress, and hair cortisol over time. © 2024 The Authors- Organisation(en)
- Institut für Klinische und Gesundheitspsychologie, Forschungsplattform The Stress of Life - Processes and Mechanisms underlying Everyday Life Stress
- Externe Organisation(en)
- University of Auckland, University of Manchester, University of Nottingham, King's College London, Cardiff University
- Journal
- Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Band
- 17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpnec.2024.100228
- Publikationsdatum
- 02-2024
- Peer-reviewed
- Ja
- ÖFOS 2012
- 501010 Klinische Psychologie
- Schlagwörter
- ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Immunology, Psychology (miscellaneous), Endocrine and Autonomic Systems, Clinical Neurology, Psychiatry and Mental health, Biological Psychiatry
- Sustainable Development Goals
- SDG 3 – Gesundheit und Wohlergehen
- Link zum Portal
- https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/de/publications/changes-in-hair-cortisol-in-a-new-zealand-community-sample-during-the-covid19-pandemic(fec1ed27-7ca3-45c9-84d2-fc850b4acb9f).html