Victims of war: Dehydroepiandrosterone concentrations in hair and their associations with trauma sequelae in palestinian adolescents living in the West Bank

Lena Schindler, Mohammed Shaheen, Rotem Saar-Ashkenazy, Kifah Bani Odeh, Sophia Helen Sass, Alon Friedman, Clemens Kirschbaum

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

Due to its anti-glucocorticoid properties, the steroid hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) might play a role for coping with traumatic stress and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The majority of studies report elevated DHEA secretion and decreased cortisol/DHEA ratio associated with traumatic stress, however, contrasting results have also been published. One reason for this heterogeneity might be that in past studies, DHEA has been measured in plasma or saliva samples reflecting acute hormone levels. In comparison, the current study assessed the hair levels of DHEA and cortisol as long-term markers along with self-reported data on psychopathology and coping in 92 female adolescents aged 11-16 from theWest Bank affected by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Results showed that trauma-exposed individuals had significantly higher DHEA levels (p = 0.013) and lower cortisol/DHEA ratios (p = 0.036) than participants from the non-trauma group. Furthermore, DHEA and cortisol/DHEA ratio emerged as associated with trauma load and timing, but not with coping. By applying the novel method of DHEA analysis from hair samples, this study adds to the growing literature on the interplay of DHEA, cortisol, traumatic stress and coping, and provides valuable starting points for further research.

Original languageEnglish
Article number20
JournalBrain Sciences
Volume9
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2019

Keywords

  • Coping
  • Cortisol
  • DHEA
  • Hair
  • Posttraumatic stress disorder
  • Traumatic stress
  • Violent conflict

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Victims of war: Dehydroepiandrosterone concentrations in hair and their associations with trauma sequelae in palestinian adolescents living in the West Bank'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this