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The study aims to explore the distinct epigenetic effects of psychological and biological stress on health outcomes.

April 8, 2026PLoS ONEOpen Access

Association between chronic stress and the epigenome: Exploration of psychological and biological stress

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Longitudinal exploration reveals distinct epigenetic associations with psychological and biological stress, suggesting complex interactions.

The study aims to explore the distinct epigenetic effects of psychological and biological stress on health outcomes.
Conducted a longitudinal design over 9 weeks with 69 healthy participants aged 18–35.
Assessed self-reported psychological stress multiple times each week.
Measured hair cortisol concentration and genome-wide DNA methylation at the end of the study.
Analyzed associations between psychological stress, cortisol levels, and DNA methylation at multiple CpG sites.
Identified 956 CpG sites linked to chronic psychological stress and 10,335 CpG sites linked to hair cortisol concentration.
Elevated psychological stress was generally associated with DNA hypomethylation, while elevated hair cortisol concentration correlated with DNA hypermethylation.
Self-report stress and hair cortisol concentration showed no correlation.
Certain CpG sites showed opposing methylation patterns for psychological stress and cortisol, indicating competition in biological pathways.

Miller et al. (2026) studied this question.

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Longitudinal exploration reveals distinct epigenetic associations with psychological and biological stress, suggesting complex interactions.