URINARY CATECHOLAMINE EXCRETION IN SEXUALLY ABUSED GIRLS

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine urinary catechol amine excretion in a self-selected sample of sexually abused and demog raphically matched control girls recruited from a prospective, longitu dinal study. Method: Twenty-four-hour urinary catecholamine and metabo lite concentrations of epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, 3-methox y-4-hydroxyphenylglycol, metanephrine, normetanephrine, vanillylmandel ic acid, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, and homovanillic acid were me asured in 12 sexually abused and 9 control girls, aged 8 to 15 years. Psychiatric profiles also were obtained. Results: The abused subjects excreted significantly greater amounts of metanephrine, vanillylmandel ic acid, homovanillic acid, and total catecholamine synthesis as measu red by the sum of epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, and their met abolites compared to values from control subjects. When the means of a ll significant biochemical measures were adjusted by the covariate eff ect of height, only homovanillic acid and group interaction remained s ignificant. There were positive trends toward significantly higher uri nary excretion of metanephrine, vanillylmandelic acid, and total catec holamine synthesis. Sexually abused girls also had a greater incidence of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and dysthymia than control gi rls. Conclusions: These findings support the idea that sexually abused girls show evidence of higher catecholamine functional activity compa red with controls. The clinical significance of these findings is thei r similarity to the psychobiology of both post-traumatic stress disord er and major depressive disorder. Results from this pilot study may be of value in understanding the mechanisms of depressive and anxiety di sorders and in the clinical treatment of maltreated children.