Mothers’ psychopathology and their adult offspring’s cortisol level in a Rwandan sample

Abstract

Background: Most studies on the influence of mothers’ trauma-related psychopathology on their offspring’s hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning have been conducted in Western contexts. Furthermore, those studies have focused on the association between mothers’ post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and their offspring’s HPA axis functioning. More research is needed among African populations exposed to mass violence to mitigate the intergenerational transmission of trauma.

Aim: To investigate the link between mothers’ PTSD and depression and their offspring’s basal cortisol level.

Setting: This cross-sectional study was conducted in two provinces of Rwanda (Kigali City and the Southern Province) among families of survivors of the 1994 genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi.

Methods: A total of 45 dyads of mothers and their adult offspring were recruited. They answered questionnaires that measured sociodemographic characteristics, trauma exposure, PTSD and depression symptoms. Participants also provided saliva samples for cortisol extraction.

Results: Mothers’ depression was negatively associated with their offspring’s overall basal cortisol level. There was no link between mothers’ PTSD and their offspring’s overall basal cortisol level. The relationship between the offspring’s overall basal cortisol level and their own psychopathology was not significant.

Conclusion: These preliminary findings showed an HPA axis disruption among offspring of mass violence-exposed and depressed mothers.

Contribution: This study contributes to the literature by showing that depression is a relevant correlate of neuroendocrine functioning and should be investigated more consistently in research on the intergenerational consequences of trauma exposure.