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Snippets of hair may expose chronic stress in war refugees

Cortisol in locks shows varying levels by proximity to war, while survey don't

A young girl looks at a document that a woman is showing her.

Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine prompted many refugees, particularly women and children, to flee to neighboring Poland. Cortisol levels in hair may better indicate differences in refugees' chronic stress levels than surveys, research suggests.

Jozef Polc/Alamy

By Sujata Gupta

Cortisol in hair may be a better indicator of chronic stress in war refugees than a commonly used questionnaire, researchers reported March 19 at the annual meeting of the American Association of Biological Anthropologists in Denver.