Cortisol and alpha amylase response patterns among young african american women with high rates of violence exposure

Background: Girls from low-income urban communities are at disproportionate risk for violence exposure, which can have adverse consequences for physical and mental health. Dysregulation of stress response systems, including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic nervous system (SNS), may help to explain negative outcomes. The current study examined patterns of salivary cortisol, reflecting HPA activity, and α-amylase, marking SNS activity, in response to a laboratory stressor with a sample of young African American women with high rates of violence exposure.
Source: Comprehensive Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Source Type: research