Perceived stress and hair cortisol concentration in a study of Mexican and Icelandic women

Abstract

Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) represent a potential biomarker of chronic psychological stress. Previous studies exploring the association between perceived stress and HCC have been limited to relatively small and selected populations. We collected hair samples from 881 women from the Mexican Teachers’ Cohort (MTC) and 398 women from the Icelandic SAGA pilot-cohort following identical protocols. HCC was quantified using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The self-reported Perceived Stress Scale (PSS, 10 and 4 item, range 0–40 and 0–16) was used to assess psychological stress. We conducted multivariable linear regression analyses to assess the association between perceived stress and log-transformed HCC in the combined sample and in each cohort separately. MTC participants had slightly higher HCC and PSS scores than SAGA participants (median HCC 6.0pg/mg vs. 4.7pg/mg and mean PSS-10 score 12.4 vs. 11.7, respectively). After adjusting for sociodemographic factors and health behaviors, we observed a 1.4% (95% CI 0.6, 2.1) increase in HCC for each unit increase in the PSS-10 score in the combined sample. Furthermore, PSS-10 quintiles were associated with a 24.3% (95% CI 8.4, 42.6, mean logHCC 1.8 vs 1.6) increase in HCC when comparing the highest to the lowest quintile, after multivariable adjustment. Similar results were obtained when we analyzed each cohort separately and when using the PSS-4. Despite relatively small absolute differences, an association between perceived stress and HCC was found in a sample of women from two diverse geographical and cultural backgrounds supporting the hypothesis that HCC is a viable biomarker in studies of chronic psychological stress.

Perceived and endocrine acute and chronic stress indicators in fibromyalgia syndrome

“…In addition, Coppens et al [10] found no significant differences in baseline salivary cortisol, but significant differences in perceived stress between individuals with FMS and healthy controls. However, these results are in contrast to other studies that reported positive associations between hair and salivary cortisol [45] or hair cortisol and perceived stress [31], although effects were weak. Research in this area presents challenges that can significantly impact study results.…”

“…Studies on salivary cortisol use different designs, sample numbers, and assay methods, leading to heterogenous outcomes [44; 46]. Hair cortisol is seen as a more stable long-term for chronic stress [30] due to some advantages over salivary cortisol, but factors like hair washing frequency or physical activity can affect the results [1; 11; 16; 37]. It is unlikely that a single stress measure can fully capture the activity of the body’s stress response system, as there is a complex interplay between multiple biological systems.…”

“…During acute stress responses, one can detect elevated cortisol levels in both blood and saliva through single-time-point measurements. However, these measurements prove disadvantageous when aiming to obtain a measure of long-term systemic cortisol production [30; 37]. When evaluating prolonged systemic cortisol production, hair cortisol offers distinct advantages.…”

“…With approximately 1cm growth rate per months, a hair sample of several centimeters can provide the information on cortisol over several months and can serve as an endocrine measure for long-term stress. Consequently, hair cortisol concentration has been suggested as a suitable indicator for assessing chronic stress levels [18; 30; 43].…”

The association between psychological resilience and hair cortisol concentration in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…For instance, a large sample study including 1279 participants revealed that individuals who self-reported the highest levels of stress also exhibited significantly elevated levels of HCC. 23 Similarly, a systematic review found that chronic stress was associated with increased HCC. 24 Silvia's study, which used HCC as a biomarker to assess stress levels, found that participants who underwent stress reduction interventions exhibited decreased HCC level.…”