Abstract
To investigate the longitudinal course of mean 24-hour urinary cortisol excretion in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the authors evaluated 24-hour cortisol excretion in 28 Holocaust survivors 10 years after obtaining an initial estimate. Cortisol level increased in participants whose PTSD had remitted (n = 3) but declined in participants who devehped PTSD (n = 3) or whose PTSD status did not change over time (PTSD+: n = 14, PTSD-: n = 8). Cortisol levels at Time 1 predicted diagnostic status change better than psychological variables, including exposure to traumatic events between assessments. The authors conclude that cortisol levels are affected by change in PTSD status and age.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 757-761 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Journal of Traumatic Stress |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 2007 |
Externally published | Yes |