Background: Unemployment and financial strain are chronic stressors that have been shown to be
associated with an increase in mean salivary and serum cortisol levels. The impact
of chronic stress on cortisol excretion is best measured using a summary index of
cortisol excretion over longer periods of time rather than momentary assessments.
Hair analysis for cortisol content is a new promising tool by which hair segmental
analysis may provide a retrospective calendar of cumulative cortisol exposure. Methods: Participants of this study were 31 unemployed and 28 employed individuals (n=46 women).
Hair segmental analysis was conducted using 3cm -long segments starting with the scalp-near
segment. Due to differing hair length, n=52 individuals had values for the second
segment and n=33 individuals had values for the third segment. Results: Univariate analysis of variance indicated that unemployed individuals had higher
cortisol content in the first (p<0.05, eta2=0.071) and second (p<0.05, eta2=0.085)
hair segment (a total of 6cm long hair representing the preceding 6 months of collection).
Duration of unemployment was related to hair cortisol content (r=0.415 and r=0.430
for segment 1 and 2, respectively). Interestingly, BMI was related to hair cortisol
content (r=0.430) but was not different between groups. Consistent with other data
from our laboratory, there was a wash-out effect for the third segment (p<0.05
for segment 3 vs. segment 1 and 2). Conclusions: We conclude that hair analysis for cortisol content may be a valid method to detect
differences in cumulative cortisol exposure between chronically stressed individuals
and healthy controls. Due to a wash-out effect, retrospective ascertainment of cortisol
exposure may be limited to the preceding 6 months of specimen collection.
