Hair cortisol and self-perceived stress in adolescents with functional somatic disorders – A comparison with data from a general population cohort

• Published in: Journal of psychosomatic research 2022-06, Vol.157, p.110889, Article 110889
• Main Authors: Nyengaard, R., Kallesøe, K., Rimvall, M., Ørnbøl, E., Wellnitz, K., Olsen, E., Wyller, V., Rask, C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescents; Biological markers; Body mass index; Cortisol; Hair; Hormones; Physiology; Population; Population levels; Population studies; Severity; Stimulation; Stress; Stress response; Teenagers
• ISSN: 0022-3999; 1879-1360
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2022.110889

Objective Studies suggest long-term stress with Cortisol dysfunction to be involved in the pathogenesis of functional somatic disorders (FSDs). but little is known regarding adolescents. Hence, hair Cortisol concentration (HCC), a promising new biomarker of long-term physiological stress, and self-perceived stress levels are highly relevant to investigate in relation to FSDs in adolescents. This study aims to examine the association between HCC and self-perceived stress in adolescents with severe FSDs, and to investigate whether HCC differentiates these youths from a general population sample. Methods Data originated from the AHEAD trial, including n = 91 15-19-year-old adolescents diagnosed with severe FSDs, and the CCC2000 cohort, including n,= 1455 16-17-year-old adolescents. We applied multiple linear regression with restricted cubic splines to analyse the association between HCC and self-perceived stress, adjusting for sex, age and body mass index. HCC distributions were evaluated using histograms and compared by unpaired t-tests. Results Preliminary regression analyses could not detect an association between HCC and self-perceived stress in the adolescents with severe FSDs. Furthermore, their HCC (median (95% CI): 2.17 (1.83-2.57) pg/mg) was not significantly different from the general population HCC (2.07 (1.98-2.16) pg/mg). Conclusion Our preliminary results do not provide evidence for an association between self-perceived stress and long-term physiological stress measured by HCC in adolescents with severe FSDs. Furthermore, our preliminary results suggest that long-term physiological stress levels in these youths correspond to general population levels. Future studies applying hormone stimulation tests can contribute with a more complete understanding of potential stress response alterations in adolescents with FSDs.