Associations of perceived stress with the present and subsequent cortisol levels in fingernails among medical students: a prospective pilot study

摘要

PurposeCortisol in fingernails could retrospectively reflect cumulative stress over a long period. However, the association between fingernail cortisol and perceived stress needs to be validated. This exploratory study aimed to investigate the associations of perceived stress with the present and subsequent cortisol levels in fingernails of the subjective stress measurement among medical students.