Abstract
Current literature proposes a relationship between retroactive reports of childhood trauma and the cortisol response to acute psychosocial stress in delineating the pathways that may lead to future health problems. Less is known about sub-clinical levels of trauma and possible mediators of this relationship. \r A sample of healthy adults (mean BMI =23.5 kg/m2), of both genders (female N=12, male N=15) with a mean age of 21.8 years (SD=4.6) provided self-ratings of childhood experiences using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Participants also completed the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale to assess global self-esteem. All participants were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test on two consecutive days to elicit an acute stress response. Saliva samples for assessment of cortisol were taken repeatedly before and after each stressor.\r Mean CTQ total scores were in the low range (M=7.3, SD=2.0). Higher childhood trauma scores predicted higher cortisol responses (β = .53, t(25) = 3.13, p = 0.004), and lower self-esteem scores (β = -0.55, t(25) = -3.26, p =0.003), and lower self-esteem scores predicted higher cortisol responses (β = -0.71, t(25) = -5.10, p <0.001), upon second exposure to stress only. Self-esteem fully mediated the relationship between childhood trauma scores and the cortisol stress response to the second stress exposure, reducing it to non-significant (β = 0.20, t(22) = 1.10, p = 0.29), contrary to other personality measures tested, demonstrating its full mediation properties. \r In summary, the results indicate that even sub-clinical levels of childhood trauma can have a negative effect on stress response systems; trauma need not be in the severe range to exert a powerful effect on these systems, particularly for repeated stress exposure. Although these effects may be rather benign in the short term, over time, they may lead to risk factors for several diseases. The mediating effects of self-esteem may help inform therapies that are geared towards helping those who have experienced subclinical levels of childhood trauma by including a self-esteem enhancing component.