Exploring hair steroid concentrations in asylum seekers, internally displaced refugees, and immigrants

Buchmüller, Thimo; Lembcke, Hanna; Busch, Julian; Kumsta, Robert; Wolf, Oliver T.; Leyendecker, Birgit

doi:10.1080/10253890.2020.1737008

Cited by 19 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…In contrast to our hypotheses, we found a positive rather than a negative association between HCC and PTSD symptoms. Though contradicting the notion that hyposecretion of cortisol is linked with PTSD symptoms in individuals with repeated traumatization, our findings align with some recent findings linking higher HCC with PTSD (Buchmüller et al, 2020;Pacella et al, 2017;Steudte et al, 2011;. Two different explanations may account for these inconsistent findings.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

“…The authors interpret these findings as indicating that enhanced -rather than reduced -HCC may emerge in high-trauma environments and in settings with ongoing stressors. Correspondingly, Steudte-Schmiedgen et al (2016) discuss potential modulatory effects of trauma characteristics (e.g., trauma severity, ongoing vs. distinct traumatization) and comorbidities (e.g., comorbid depression and/or (Buchmüller et al, 2020).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Longitudinal Associations between Hair Cortisol, PTSD Symptoms, and Sleep Disturbances in a Sample of Firefighters with Duty-related Trauma Exposure

Sopp

Michael

Lass‐Hennemann

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Several studies have found evidence of altered cortisol levels in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Based on these findings, it is assumed that these patients may show signs of cortisol dysregulation after trauma. Posttrauma cortisol levels are thus considered a potential biomarker of PTSD. However, longitudinal studies using indicators of long-term cortisol secretion (such as hair cortisol concentrations; HCC) are scarce. The current study investigated prospective associations between HCC and PTSD symptoms in a sample of Dutch firefighters taking into account varying levels of work-related trauma severity. In addition, we assessed posttraumatic sleep disturbances as a secondary outcome measure to investigate whether effects generalize to this frequent comorbidity of PTSD. Three hundred seventy-one Dutch firefighters with a mean of 14.01 years of work experience were included in the analyses. Baseline assessment included the collection of hair samples and the measurement of work-related trauma severity, PTSD symptoms, and sleep disturbances. PTSD symptoms and sleep disturbance were re-assessed after six and twelve months. Multilevel analyses indicate a significant positive correlation between HCC and baseline PTSD symptoms in those with average or above-average work-related trauma severity. A similar pattern was evident for posttraumatic sleep disturbances at baseline. Moreover, higher HCC predicted more posttraumatic sleep disturbances after 6 months in participants with above-average work-related trauma severity. No other associations emerged for PTSD symptoms or posttraumatic sleep disturbances at six or twelve months. As such, our study supports the existence of a cross-sectional association between HCC and trauma symptoms, which may vary for different levels of subjective trauma severity. The longitudinal stability of this association should be reinvestigated by future research.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Longitudinal Associations between Hair Cortisol, PTSD Symptoms, and Sleep Disturbances in a Sample of Firefighters with Duty-related Trauma Exposure

Sopp

Michael

Lass‐Hennemann

et al. 2021

Preprint

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“…[29][30][31]37,44,51 Eleven surveys reported solely on prevalence of PTSD symptoms including n = 910 refugees. 32,33,36,39,42,43,50,[53][54][55] Both disorders were evaluated in 14 surveys including n = 3026 refugees. 28,34,35,38,40,41,[45][46][47][48][49]52,56,57 The sample sizes in surveys on prevalence of PTSD symptoms in RAS were primarily small (40% with a sample size less than 100 RAS), whereas only 15% of surveys of prevalence of depressive symptoms in RAS had a sample size less than 100 participants.…”

Section: Review Of Selected Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…None of the remaining subgroup comparisons provided β-coefficients significantly different from zero. Stotz (2015) 54 Sierau (2019) 52 Nesterko (2019a) 48 Müller (2019a) 47 Kröger (2016) 45 Kaltenbach (2017) 43 Grupp (2018) 42 Georgiadou (2018) 41 Georgiadou (2017) 40 Gäbel (2006) 39 Führer (2016) 38 Dietrich (2019) 36 Comtesse & Rosner (2019) 35 Buchmüller (2020) 33 Buchmüller (2018b) 32 Buchmüller (2018a) 32 Adam & Klasen (2011) 28 Screening Overall Q = 23.77, P < 0.00, l 2 = 71% Diagnosis subgroup Wulfes (2019) 57 Soykoek (2017) 53 Ruf (2008) 50 Niklewski (2012) 49 Nesterko (2019b) 48 Müller (2019b) 47 Mewes (2018) 46 Butollo & Maragkos (2012) 34 Diagnosis Study or Subgroup Fig. 2 The prevalence estimate of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in surveys using diagnostic instruments and screening tools.…”

Section: Surveys On Prevalence Of Ptsd Symptomsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of depressive symptoms and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder among newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers in Germany: systematic review and meta-analysis

et al. 2021

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Background In total numbers, Germany has faced the largest number of refugees and asylum seekers (RAS) in Europe in the past decade. Although a considerable proportion have experienced traumatic and stressful life events, there is no systematic review to date examining the prevalence of depressive symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in RAS in Germany. Aims To calculate the prevalence of depressive symptoms and PTSD symptoms in the general population of RAS living in Germany after the year 2000 and explore the impact of study- and participant-related characteristics on prevalence estimates. Method We systematically searched PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PSYNDEX, Academic Search Complete, Science Direct and Web of Science from January 2000 to May 2020 to identify articles reporting prevalence of depressive symptoms and PTSD in RAS in Germany (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020182796). Results In total, 31 different surveys met inclusion criteria with 20 surveys reporting prevalence estimates of depressive symptoms and 25 surveys symptoms of PTSD. Based on screening tools, the pooled prevalence estimate of PTSD symptoms was 29.9% (95% CI 20.8–38.7%) and of depressive symptoms 39.8% (95% CI 29.8–50.1%). Heterogeneity was large within and between subgroups. In multivariate meta-regressions on depressive symptoms, heterogeneity was largely explained by survey period, length of field period and study quality. Conclusions Prevalence rates of depressive symptoms and PTSD symptoms in RAS are notably large. They exceed the prevalence in the general German population. As a result of high heterogeneity, however, pooled prevalence rates should be interpreted with caution.

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“…Even though DHEA is a promising marker with neuroprotective potential, most studies focus on cortisol and less on DHEA mostly measuring real-time fluctuations in blood and saliva. The first studies assessing hair cortisol and DHEA to date either investigated small samples of traumatized adolescents or healthy adults (62)(63)(64)(65)(66)(67)(68). To our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the association between resilience and stress markers in hair samples in caregivers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Stress of Caring—Resilience and HPA-Axis Activity in Hair Samples of Youth Residential Caregivers

et al. 2020

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Background: Professional caregivers in youth residential care institutions experience frequent verbal and physical aggression as well as multiple stressors as part of their everyday work, leading to high levels of burnout and staff turnover. Resilience might buffer against psychophysiological stress response and therefore be crucial for well-being in professional caregivers.Objectives: We aimed to investigate if measures related to resilience [sense of coherence (SoC), self-efficacy and self-care] and attachment security of caregivers were cross-sectionally associated with stress markers in hair samples [cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)].Method: Participants (n = 134; 64.2% women) reported on individual resilience measures and provided hair samples for cortisol and DHEA assays. Attachment was assessed in a subsample using the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP, n = 69). Linear regression models were fitted to estimate the association between resilience measures and the Cortisol:DHEA ratio, cortisol and DHEA, controlling for gender and age.Results: SoC was associated with a lower Cortisol:DHEA ratio (β = −0.36, p < 0.001), driven by a positive association between SoC and DHEA levels (β = 0.28, p = 0.002). Self-care was also associated with lower Cortisol:DHEA ratios (β = −0.24, p = 0.005), due to self-care being associated with higher DHEA (β = 0.21, p = 0.016). HPA-axis measures were not associated with self-efficacy nor with attachment patterns in a subsample.Conclusions: Our findings imply that youth residential care institutions might benefit from programs focusing on enhancing SoC and self-care practices. Fostering a meaningful, comprehensible and manageable professional climate in caregiving environments and implementing self-care in routine practices might enhance not only well-being but also physical health of professional caregivers and in this way buffer adverse health effects of chronic stressors.

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Exploring hair steroid concentrations in asylum seekers, internally displaced refugees, and immigrants

Cited by 19 publications

References 39 publications

Longitudinal Associations between Hair Cortisol, PTSD Symptoms, and Sleep Disturbances in a Sample of Firefighters with Duty-related Trauma Exposure

Longitudinal Associations between Hair Cortisol, PTSD Symptoms, and Sleep Disturbances in a Sample of Firefighters with Duty-related Trauma Exposure

Prevalence of depressive symptoms and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder among newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers in Germany: systematic review and meta-analysis

The Stress of Caring—Resilience and HPA-Axis Activity in Hair Samples of Youth Residential Caregivers

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