Citation

Flory JD, Yehuda R, Grossman R, New AS, Mitropoulou V, Siever LJ. Compr. Psychiatry 2009; 50(1): 34-37.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Queens College/CUNY, Flushing, NY 11367, USA. janine.flory@qc.cuny.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.comppsych.2008.05.007

PMID

19059511

PMCID

PMC2614618

Abstract

This study examined the influence of various forms of childhood abuse on basal cortisol levels in a sample of adults with Axis II personality disorders. Participants included 63 adults (n = 19 women) who provided basal plasma cortisol samples and completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Linear regression analyses that included all 5 subscales (ie, sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect and emotional neglect) demonstrated that physical abuse was related to lower cortisol levels (beta = -.43, P = .007), consistent with prior literature. In contrast, physical neglect was associated with higher cortisol (beta = .36, P = .02), after controlling for other forms of abuse. Results are consistent with the view that childhood trauma has long-lasting neurobiological effects and suggest that different forms of trauma may have distinct biological effects.

Language: en