Child maltreatment and HPA axis dysregulation: relationship to major depressive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder in females

A history of child maltreatment increases the vulnerability to the development of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and/or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), especially in females. Both MDD and PTSD are associated with a dysregulation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis. Dysregulation of the HPA axis may be an important etiological link between child maltreatment and subsequent psychiatric disorder, yet little is known about the …