Changes in hair cortisol in a New Zealand community sample during the Covid-19 pandemic

Broadbent, Elizabeth, Nater, Urs, Skoluda, Nadine, Gasteiger, Norina, Jia, Ru, Chalder, Trudie, Law, Mikaela and Vedhara, Kavita 2024. Changes in hair cortisol in a New Zealand community sample during the Covid-19 pandemic. Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology 17 , 100228. 10.1016/j.cpnec.2024.100228

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Abstract

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.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	2666-4976
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	13 February 2024
Date of Acceptance:	2 February 2024
Last Modified:	20 Mar 2024 13:32
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/166280

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