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New York (pte024/04.05.2005/11:06) - Research has revealed that Babys born to women who suffered from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after the World Trade Centre attacks may be more susceptible to stress. The hormone Cortisol, which is associated with higher stress levels, is found to be abnormally low in these children. It has been suggested that the result of the mother's trauma 'programmed' the child in the womb.
Although previous studies have shown that children with overly stressed mothers develop stress disorders themselves, this has been attributed to parents re-telling their own experiences to their children.
Thirty-eight women, all witnesses of the World Trade Centre attacks, were surveyed by researchers from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, UK http://www.mvm.ed.ac.uk/mcm.htm, and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, US http://www.mssm.edu/, a year after the attacks. The women who had experienced PTSD after the attacks were found to have lower cortisol levels - as well as their children. Cortisol, produced in response to stress, increases blood pressure and blood glucose. But when stress levels rise, the hormone levels fall because the body processes it faster.
Jonathan Seckl, of the University of Edinburgh says: "Because the Babys were about a year old at the time of testing, this suggests the trauma effect transfer may have to do with very early parent-child attachments, cortisol 'programming' in the womb, or shared genetic susceptibility." Women who were in their third trimester during the attacks showed reduced levels of cortisol. "That seems much more biological than about delivering care," Seckl added.
Lack of cortisol production can affect health in regulating the immune system, for example, but Andrew Steptoe, University College London, UK, says that the exact relationship between cortisol and stress is still unclear.
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