Source avec lien : Journal of Occupational Health, 63(1), . 10.1002/1348-9585.12189
La prévention sélective des problèmes de santé mentale sur le lieu de travail repose actuellement sur une évaluation subjective des plaintes liées au stress. Le cortisol capillaire capte les réponses au stress chronique et pourrait être un biomarqueur prometteur pour l’identification précoce des problèmes de santé mentale. L’objectif était de fournir une vue d’ensemble de l’état des connaissances sur la valeur pratique du cortisol capillaire dans le milieu professionnel.
Objectives: Workplace-based selective prevention of mental health problems currently relies on subjective evaluation of stress complaints. Hair cortisol captures chronic stress responses and could be a promising biomarker for the early identification of mental health problems. The objective was to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art knowledge on the practical value of hair cortisol in the occupational setting.Methods: We performed a scoping review of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies in PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO up to November 2019 assessing the relations of hair cortisol with work-related stressors, perceived stress, and mental health outcomes in healthy workers.Results: We found five longitudinal studies, of which two observed an increase in work-related stressors to be associated with higher hair cortisol, one found a relation with lower hair cortisol and one did not find a relationship. Findings of cross-sectional studies were also mixed. The one available longitudinal study regarding mental health showed that hair cortisol was not related to depressive symptoms.Conclusions: Hair cortisol measurement within occupational health research is still in its early stage and more longitudinal studies are urgently needed to clarify its relationship with work-related stressors and perceived stress before hair cortisol can be used to identify workers at risk for mental health problems.