The Levels of Cortisol and Oxidative Stress and DNA Damage in Child and Adolescent Victims of Sexual Abuse with or without Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
- Author:
Seref ŞIMŞEK
1
;
Tuğba YÜKSEL
;
Ibrahim KAPLAN
;
Cem UYSAL
;
Hüseyin AKTAŞ
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Cortisol; DNA damage; Oxidative stress; PTSD; Sexual abuse; Trauma
- MeSH: Adolescent*; Child*; Diagnosis; DNA Damage*; DNA*; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Glutathione Peroxidase; Humans; Hydrocortisone*; Methods; Oxidative Stress*; Sex Offenses*; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*; Superoxide Dismutase; Ubiquinone
- From:Psychiatry Investigation 2016;13(6):616-621
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether cortisol and oxidative stress levels and DNA damage differ between individuals who developed PTSD or not following a sexual trauma. METHODS: The study included 61 children aged between 5 and 17 years who sustained sexual abuse (M/F: 18/43). The patients were divided into two groups: patients with PTSD and patients without PTSD based, based on the results of a structured psychiatric interview (K-SADS-PL and CAPS-CA). Cortisol, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), coenzyme Q, 8-Hydroxy-2-Deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) were all evaluated by the ELISA method. RESULTS: Our evaluation revealed a diagnosis of PTSD in 51% (n=31) of victims. There was no significant difference between the groups with or without PTSD in terms of cortisol, GPx, SOD, coenzyme Q, and 8-OHdG levels. There was no correlation between CAPS scores and GPx, SOD, coenzyme Q, and 8-OHdG levels between patients with or without PTSD. In patients with PTSD, both cortisol and 8-OHdG levels decreased with increasing time after trauma, and there was no significant correlation with cortisol and 8-OHdG levels in patients without PTSD. CONCLUSION: Although the present study did not find any difference between the groups in terms of 8-OHdG concentrations, the decreases in both cortisol and 8-OHdG levels with increasing time after trauma is considered to indicate a relationship between cortisol and DNA damage.
