Exploring hair steroid concentrations in asylum seekers, internally displaced refugees, and immigrants
| Autor: | Robert Kumsta, Julian Busch, Hanna Lembcke, Birgit Leyendecker, Oliver T. Wolf, Thimo Buchmüller |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
Physiology Refugee media_common.quotation_subject Yield (finance) Immigration Emigrants and Immigrants Stress Disorders Post-Traumatic 03 medical and health sciences Behavioral Neuroscience 0302 clinical medicine Germany medicine Humans Psychiatry media_common Refugees Endocrine and Autonomic Systems food and beverages Mental health humanities 030227 psychiatry Psychiatry and Mental health Forced migration Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology Internally displaced person Female Psychology 030217 neurology & neurosurgery Stress Psychological |
| Zdroj: | Stress (Amsterdam, Netherlands). 23(5) |
| ISSN: | 1607-8888 |
| Popis: | The study of physiology in response to war and forced displacement can yield insight into the origin of stress-related mental health disorders. Previous studies found alterations in hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) in refugees. However, the direction of this alteration in HCC, as well as the association between HCC and psychological stress, remain unclear. Mixed findings can potentially be explained by the lack of contextual factors that have been taken into account. In this explorative study, we investigated HCCs in three female refugee samples (N = 89) in different contexts. Samples were i) asylum seekers from Syria, who sought protection in Germany two years ago (n = 37), ii) internally displaced persons (IDPs), who fled a genocide and lived in conditions of onging insecurity in Iraq (n = 14), and iii) Kurdish immigrants and former asylum seekers, who resettled to Germany 18 years ago and were used as reference group (n = 38). HCC was assessed in the scalp-nearest 6 cm of hair (2*3 cm segments). Data on mental and physical health, exposure to traumatic events, and time between immigration and HCC assessments were collected. Syrian asylum seekers had lower HCC than immigrant controls (η2 = .06). PTSD symptoms and perceived stress were associated with elevated cortisol levels in IDPs (r = .66 and r = .56), while time since immigration was associated with cortisol levels only in immigrant controls (r = .38). We discuss our findings with regard to the importance of contextual factors, particularly time since displacement and on-going insecurity, when studying physiological reactions in refugees.Lay summaryFemale Syrian asylum seekers had lower levels of hair cortisol concentration than Kurdish immigrants in Germany. Hair cortisol concentration was associated with post-traumatic stress symptoms only in internally displaced women who were exposed to ongoing stress and insecurity in Iraq. Female Syrian asylum seekers had lower levels of hair cortisol concentration than Kurdish immigrants in Germany. Hair cortisol concentration was associated with post-traumatic stress symptoms only in internally displaced women who were exposed to ongoing stress and insecurity in Iraq. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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