Not the Root of the Problem—Hair Cortisol and Cortisone Do Not Mediate the Effect of Child Maltreatment on Body Mass Index

Background: Experiencing maltreatment during childhood exerts substantial stress on the child and increases the risk for overweight and obesity later in life. The current study tests whether hair cortisol – a measure of chronic stress - and its metabolite cortisone mediate the relation between abuse and neglect on the one hand, and body mass index (BMI) on the other. Method: The sample consisted of 249 participants aged 8 to 87 years (M = 36.13,...