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Predictors of cortisol and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol responses in the acute aftermath of rape
R Yehuda1, H S Resnick, J Schmeidler
1Psychiatry Department, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Bronx VA Medical center, New York 10468, USA.
Background:
Prospective studies of trauma survivors can provide information about the relationship between rape characteristics and the development of subsequent symptoms.
Methods:
The present study examined the relationship of prior assault, rape severity, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms following rape, and subsequent PTSD diagnosis, to the acute cortisol and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) response to this traumatic event in 20 women.
Results:
Women with a history of prior physical or sexual assault showed a significantly attenuated cortisol response to the acute stress of rape compared to women without such a history. MHPG appeared to be associated with injury-related rape characteristics, and symptoms of active avoidance, but not prior history. PTSD status at the 3-month follow-up was predicted by both a prior history of assault and high injury rape, but was not directly predicted by either cortisol or MHPG levels. MHPG and cortisol were not correlated in the sample as a whole, but were correlated among individuals who did not subsequently develop PTSD (p = .04)
Conclusions:
The results suggest that different neuroendocrine systems may mediate different components of the response to traumatic stress.