TY - JOUR
T1 - Changes in hair cortisol in a New Zealand community sample during the Covid-19 pandemic
AU - Broadbent, Elizabeth
AU - Nater, Urs
AU - Skoluda, Nadine
AU - Gasteiger, Norina
AU - Jia, Ru
AU - Chalder, Trudie
AU - Law, Mikaela
AU - Vedhara, Kavita
N1 - Funding Information:
There is evidence that people in countries with higher infection rates experienced higher anxiety and depression than people in countries with lower infection rates, but mixed evidence for effects of levels of the stringency of government response on mental health [5]. This is supported by research showing that although people from both the UK and NZ reported elevated stress, anxiety, and depression, in the pandemic compared to pre-population norms, stress and anxiety were significantly worse in the UK than in NZ [6,7].This work was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical approval was granted from the Auckland Health Research Ethics Committee (Ref: AH1326).The NZ based research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.TC is part-funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, King's College London. She has grants from Guy's St Thomas Charity Grants, NIHR and UKRI for post COVID syndromes.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors
PY - 2024/2
Y1 - 2024/2
N2 - Background: Evidence suggests that countries with higher Covid-19 infection rates experienced poorer mental health. This study examined whether hair cortisol reduced over time in New Zealand, a country that managed to eliminate the virus in the first year of the pandemic due to an initial strict lockdown. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study assessed self-reported stress, anxiety and depression and collected hair samples that were analyzed for cortisol, across two waves in 2020. The sample consisted of 44 adults who each returned two 3 cm hair samples and completed self-reports. Hair cortisol was assessed per centimetre. Results: Hair cortisol reduced over time (F (5, 99.126) = 10.15, p <.001, partial eta squared = 0.19), as did anxiety and depression. Higher hair cortisol was significantly associated with more negative life events reported at wave two (r = 0.30 segment 1, r = 0.34 segment 2, p <.05), but not anxiety or depression. Conclusions: Strict virus control measures may not only reduce infection rates, but also reduce psychological distress, and hair cortisol over time.
AB - Background: Evidence suggests that countries with higher Covid-19 infection rates experienced poorer mental health. This study examined whether hair cortisol reduced over time in New Zealand, a country that managed to eliminate the virus in the first year of the pandemic due to an initial strict lockdown. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study assessed self-reported stress, anxiety and depression and collected hair samples that were analyzed for cortisol, across two waves in 2020. The sample consisted of 44 adults who each returned two 3 cm hair samples and completed self-reports. Hair cortisol was assessed per centimetre. Results: Hair cortisol reduced over time (F (5, 99.126) = 10.15, p <.001, partial eta squared = 0.19), as did anxiety and depression. Higher hair cortisol was significantly associated with more negative life events reported at wave two (r = 0.30 segment 1, r = 0.34 segment 2, p <.05), but not anxiety or depression. Conclusions: Strict virus control measures may not only reduce infection rates, but also reduce psychological distress, and hair cortisol over time.
KW - Cortisol
KW - Covid-19
KW - Stress
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85185596296&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cpnec.2024.100228
DO - 10.1016/j.cpnec.2024.100228
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85185596296
SN - 2666-4976
VL - 17
JO - Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology
JF - Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology
M1 - 100228
ER -
