Elevated cortisol in healthy female adolescent offspring of mothers with posttraumatic stress disorder

Offspring with maternal PTSD are at increased risk of developing PTSD themselves. Alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis may play a role and have been noted in offspring, although evidence is mostly from adult offspring with PTSD symptoms themselves. The present study of adolescent girls (N = 472) and their mothers (n = 18 with lifetime PTSD versus n = 454 with no PTSD) sought to determine whether healthy, non-affected...