1. Elevated salivary alpha amylase in adolescent sexual abuse survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.
- Author
-
Keeshin, Brooks, Strawn, Jeffrey, Out, Dorothee, Putnam, Frank, and Granger, Douglas
- Subjects
Adolescent ,Autonomic Nervous System ,Child Abuse ,Sexual ,Circadian Rhythm ,Female ,Humans ,Prospective Studies ,Salivary alpha-Amylases ,Stress Disorders ,Post-Traumatic ,Survivors - Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Little is known regarding neuroendocrine responses in adolescent girls with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who have experienced sexual abuse. Therefore, we collected saliva samples three times daily for 3 days to assess concentrations of salivary alpha amylase (sAA) - a surrogate marker for autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity and, in particular, sympathetic activity - in sexually abused adolescent girls. METHODS: Twenty-four girls (mean age: 15±1.4 years) who had experienced recent sexual abuse (i.e., sexual abuse occurred 1-6 months prior to study enrollment) and 12 healthy comparison subjects (mean age: 14.8±1.3 years) completed a structured interview and assessments to ascertain symptoms of posttraumatic stress, then collected saliva at home upon awakening, 30 minutes after waking, and at 5 p.m. on three consecutive school days. RESULTS: For sexually abused girls, total PTSD symptoms were associated with higher overall morning levels of sAA (r[20]=0.51, p=0.02), a finding driven by intrusive symptoms (r[20]=0.43, p
- Published
- 2015