Brief report: Role of cortisol in posttraumatic stress symptoms among mothers of children diagnosed with cancer.

摘要

OBJECTIVE: To examine the role of cortisol in posttraumatic stress symptomatology among mothers of children newly diagnosed with cancer. METHODS: Mothers (N = 27) completed standardized measures of posttraumatic stress symptoms and provided salivary cortisol samples at the time of their child's cancer diagnosis and then monthly for 1 year. RESULTS: Random effects regression analyses of 351 person-by-time observations revealed that high levels of cortisol were associated with higher levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms (B = .12, p < .02). The mothers who exhibited higher cortisol levels at the time of their child's diagnosis showed statistically significant declines in symptomatology from diagnosis to 12 months postdiagnosis (B = .97, p < .0001) compared to mothers who exhibited lower cortisol levels at diagnosis (B = .003, p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings offer some suggestions into possible neurobiological processes underlying posttraumatic stress symptoms and directions for future research and clinical intervention.