Cortisol Response to Stress in Female Youths Exposed to Childhood Maltreatment: Results of the Youth Mood Project

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined stress reactivity and its relationship to major depressive disorder (MDD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among maltreated youth. We examined differences between maltreated and control participants in heart rate and cortisol resting and reactivity levels in response to a psychosocial stressor. METHODS: We recruited 67 female youths aged 12 to 16 with no prior history of depression from child …