Citation

Muller D, Errington SL, Szabo CP, Pitts N, Jacklin L. Child Abuse Negl. 2014; 38(11): 1778-1786.

Affiliation

School of Clinical Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.07.014

PMID

25169148

Abstract

A growing body of research indicates that a bidirectional response to a stressor may occur in maltreated children and may be associated with later life psychopathology. However, few studies have investigated stress reactivity in children when they first present to a sexual abuse clinic. Thus, in order to evaluate whether HPA axis dysregulation would be evident at first presentation to a sexual abuse clinic in young girls (n=26), between the ages of 6-12 years old, blood samples were obtained immediately following examination at a forensic sexual abuse clinic and from the matched control group of children (n=14; 10.1±0.8) immediately following a bone density scan. Stratification of the sexually abused group into those children who were reportedly abused by a stranger and had no other family stressors (n=15, 10.4±1.8) and those children whose parents reported abuse of the child by a stranger and other family stressors (n=11; 9.5±1.8) revealed differences in stress reactivity. Plasma concentrations, of the children from the forensic clinic, were significantly increased in children who reported abuse by a stranger only (322.3±117.4nmol/l) and significantly decreased in children whose histories indicated sexual abuse by a stranger and other family stressors (149.6±39.7nmol/l) when compared to the control group (225.5±47.5nmol/l). In conclusion, following sexual abuse and a secondary stressor, the forensic examination, there is evidence of divergent cortisol responses in the stratified clinical group of children.

Language: en