HPA axis dysregulation in adult adoptees twenty years after severe institutional deprivation in childhood
Researchers measured daily cortisol in 57 young adult adoptees, comparing those exposed to Romanian institutional deprivation with UK adoptees. More than six months of deprivation was associated with an absent cortisol awakening response and a flatter early-morning pattern. The analysis did not find evidence that this cortisol pattern mediated emotional problems in this subsample.
Limitations: Small biological subsample; no demonstrated mediation of mental health outcomes. Extreme early institutional deprivation; results do not represent adoptees generally. Participants overlap with other ERA publications.
- Research type
- Biomarker cohort analysis
- Source reviewed
- Abstract
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Age group
- Adults
Study context and review
Age group as recorded: Adults
Adoption context: Intercountry adoption after Romanian institutional care; UK comparison groups
Programme: English and Romanian Adoptees Study
Institutional context: No relationship identified in the material checked
No adoption-sector organisational relationship identified in indexed metadata reviewed. Affiliations, funding and conflicts have not been comprehensively audited; this does not confirm institutional independence.
Bibliographic screening. Bibliographic relationships are not a bias or safety rating.
Topics: mental health, physical health, stress biology
Review scope: Source checked: Abstract. This does not imply full-text or independent human verification.
Country as recorded: United Kingdom; Romania (origin)
- Funding
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Commissioner
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Funder role
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Declared conflicts
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Recruitment
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Adoptee involvement
- Not yet checked for this entry
Entry: study_68e819eee01256d7