Abstract
Background
Evidence suggests that countries with higher Covid-19 infection rates experienced poorer mental health. This study examined whether hair cortisol reduced over time in New Zealand, a country that managed to eliminate the virus in the first year of the pandemic due to an initial strict lockdown.
Methods
A longitudinal cohort study assessed self-reported stress, anxiety and depression and collected hair samples that were analysed for cortisol, across two waves in 2020. The sample consisted of 44 adults who each returned two 3cm hair samples and completed self-reports. Hair cortisol was assessed per centimetre.
Results
Hair cortisol reduced over time (F (5, 99.126) = 10.15, p<.001, partial eta squared = .19), as did anxiety and depression. Higher hair cortisol was significantly associated with more negative life events reported at wave two (r = .30 segment 1, r= .34 segment 2, p<.05), but not anxiety or depression.
Conclusions
Strict virus control measures may not only reduce infection rates, but also reduce psychological distress, and hair cortisol over time.
Evidence suggests that countries with higher Covid-19 infection rates experienced poorer mental health. This study examined whether hair cortisol reduced over time in New Zealand, a country that managed to eliminate the virus in the first year of the pandemic due to an initial strict lockdown.
Methods
A longitudinal cohort study assessed self-reported stress, anxiety and depression and collected hair samples that were analysed for cortisol, across two waves in 2020. The sample consisted of 44 adults who each returned two 3cm hair samples and completed self-reports. Hair cortisol was assessed per centimetre.
Results
Hair cortisol reduced over time (F (5, 99.126) = 10.15, p<.001, partial eta squared = .19), as did anxiety and depression. Higher hair cortisol was significantly associated with more negative life events reported at wave two (r = .30 segment 1, r= .34 segment 2, p<.05), but not anxiety or depression.
Conclusions
Strict virus control measures may not only reduce infection rates, but also reduce psychological distress, and hair cortisol over time.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 100228 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology |
| Volume | 17 |
| Early online date | 15 Feb 2024 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 15 Feb 2024 |
Keywords
- Covid-19
- cortisol
- stress