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Cortisol Profile Mediates the Relation Between Childhood Neglect and Pain and Emotional Symptoms among Patients with Fibromyalgia

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Background

The relation between childhood trauma and chronic pain and emotional symptoms in adulthood has been well-documented, although physiological mechanisms mediating this link have not been elaborated.

Purpose

This study examined the mediating role of cortisol profile in the linkage between childhood maltreatment and pain and emotional symptoms in individuals with fibromyalgia (FM).

Methods

One hundred seventy-nine adults with FM first provided retrospective self-reports of childhood maltreatment, then attended a standardized session during which cortisol was sampled across 1.5 hours and, subsequently, completed assessments of daily pain, depressive symptoms, and anxiety. Latent growth curve modeling estimated the hypothesized mediation models.

Results

Childhood neglect predicted a flattened cortisol profile, which, in turn, predicted elevated daily pain and emotional symptoms. The cortisol profile partially mediated the neglect-symptom relation.

Conclusions

Early maltreatment may exert enduring effects on endocrine regulation that contributes to pain and emotional symptoms in adults with chronic pain.

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Authors’ Statement of Conflict of Interest and Adherence to Ethical Standards

Ellen W. Yeung, Mary C. Davis, and Marissa C. Ciaramitaro declare that they have no conflict of interest. All procedures were approved by the Institutional Review Board at Arizona State University and all the participants gave their informed consent prior to their inclusion in the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, PO Box 871104, Tempe, AZ, 85287-1104, USA

    Ellen W. Yeung Ph.D., Mary C. Davis Ph.D. & Marissa C. Ciaramitaro B.S.

  2. Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA

    Ellen W. Yeung Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Ellen W. Yeung Ph.D.
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  2. Mary C. Davis Ph.D.
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  3. Marissa C. Ciaramitaro B.S.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ellen W. Yeung Ph.D..

Additional information

This research was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (5R01AR053245) to Mary C. Davis.

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Yeung, E.W., Davis, M.C. & Ciaramitaro, M.C. Cortisol Profile Mediates the Relation Between Childhood Neglect and Pain and Emotional Symptoms among Patients with Fibromyalgia. ann. behav. med. 50, 87–97 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-015-9734-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-015-9734-z

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