Depressive-Like Effects of Foreclosing: A Cross-Sectional Study of Hair Cortisol Concentration

Introduction: Foreclosing and home eviction have been associated with various negative health outcomes, probably due to exposure to such stressful circumstance, but there is no evidence about foreclosure and home eviction to elicit cortisol responses. Methods: Participants who recently had received a court eviction notice were compared to subjects suffering a depressive disorder and to healthy controls in terms of hair cortisol concentrations. Results: Subjects under the stressful circumstance of foreclosure and patients with depression showed comparable concentrations in most of the hair segments while healthy subjects displayed the lowest levels of cortisol. Conclusion: The findings show that foreclosure and home eviction are associated with increased cumulative hair cortisol and with depressive-like symptoms. Foreclosing procedures yielded to maintain high levels of cortisol which may increase the risk to develop major depression.