Hair cortisol levels and mental health problems in children and adolescents exposed to victimization.

Youths who experience multiple forms of victimization are at a heightened risk for psychopathology across the lifespan. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a key target for the investigation of neurobiological changes induced by chronic stress and violence exposure. The measurement of hair cortisol concentration allows the investigation of long-term HPA activity and its association with victimization. The present study investigated the impact of exposure to polyvictimization in Latin-American children and adolescents on hair cortisol levels. We investigated association among cortisol, mental health problems and victimization. The study included 83 youths (mean age 10.84 years-old) from southern Brazil. We assessed self-reported victimization scores (Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire - JVQ-R2), mental health problems (Child Behavior Checklist - CBCL/6-18), and hair cortisol concentrations for the previous 30 days. The results showed an association between exposure to multiple forms of victimization and higher concentrations of hair cortisol; the results also showed that cortisol levels and mental health problems were associated with the severity of polyvictimization. These findings suggest that preadolescent victimization is associated with hyperactivation of HPA axis and with increased risk of mental health issues.