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Updated: Feb 4, 2026
Collecting Hair Samples for Hair Cortisol Analysis in African Americans
Published on: June 10, 2018
Correlates of hair cortisol concentrations in disadvantaged young children
Julian G Simmons1,2, Francisco Azpitarte3,4,5, Fatou Diallo Roost3
1Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Insights
Disadvantaged children exposed to social exclusion and adversity show higher hair cortisol concentration (HCC), a marker of chronic stress. Positive parenting, like maternal nurturing, is linked to lower HCC levels in children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Stress Physiology
- Child Health
Background:
- Children from disadvantaged backgrounds often face poorer long-term health and educational outcomes.
- The mechanisms linking early life adversity to long-term physiological stress responses, such as cortisol levels, are not fully understood.
- Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) offers a method to assess chronic stress in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between family adversity, parenting, and long-term cortisol levels in young children.
- To explore how psychosocial factors in early childhood influence hair cortisol concentration (HCC).
Main Methods:
- A sample of 60 low-income children and their mothers participated in a single assessment.
- Mothers completed questionnaires on family environment, parenting, and child behavior.
- Children's hair samples were analyzed for cortisol concentration (HCC); anthropometric measures were taken.
Main Results:
- Higher social exclusion, male sex, and younger age were associated with elevated HCC.
- Maternal nurturing and emotion coaching were linked to reduced HCC.
- Multivariate regression identified key correlates of HCC in this cohort.
Conclusions:
- Chronic stress, potentially reflected by HCC, may mediate the link between early adversity and long-term negative outcomes.
- HCC is a valuable tool for studying chronic stress in children and assessing intervention effectiveness.
- Positive parenting strategies may help mitigate the physiological impact of adversity on children.
Abstract:
Children from highly disadvantaged families tend to experience worse health, educational, and job outcomes than less disadvantaged peers. However, the mechanisms underlying these relationships remain to be explicated. In particular, few studies have investigated the relationships between the psychosocial influences that children are exposed to early in life and longer term cortisol output. This study aims to contribute to the literature by exploring how disadvantaged young children's experiences of family adversity, and parenting and family functioning, are related to their long-term cortisol levels. A sample of 60 children (26 males, mean = 4.25 years, SD = 1.68) and their mothers (mean = 34.18 years, SD = 7.11) from a low-income population took part in a single assessment. Mothers completed questionnaires on the family environment, parenting practices, and child behaviour. Children provided a hair sample for cortisol assay and anthropometric measures. A parsimonious multivariate regression model (including potential predictors identified by a selection algorithm) was used to investigate the correlates of hair cortisol concentration (HCC) in children. Higher levels of social exclusion, being male, and younger age were each associated with higher HCC. Maternal nurturing and emotion coaching were associated with lower HCC. Findings suggest that chronic stress may underlie relationships between adversity and its long-term effects and that HCC offers a promising method for examining chronic stress in children and evaluating interventions by which it can be ameliorated.
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