Adverse childhood experiences (
ACEs) have been associated with unfavorable health outcomes throughout the life up to old age. Mechanisms through which
ACEs impact later life health are still not entirely clear. There is growing evidence for the idea that alterations in the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis might cause the effects of
ACEs on later health consequences. Only few studies have investigated associations between
ACEs and diurnal HPA axis functioning in older adults. Therefore, we investigated the impact of type and timing of
ACEs linked to flight of war on diurnal HPA axis activity in a sample of East Prussian World War II refugees aged 74-91 years. We calculated a dichotomous variable according to the (minimum) age at
trauma: early ACE (eACE; 0-5 years) and late ACE (lACE; 6-17 years). Multiple linear regression analysis using different
ACEs linked to flight of war (
war-related trauma, individual experience of violence, neglect) as well as age at
trauma and the interactions of
ACEs and age at
trauma as predictors and three
cortisol outcomes (AUCG (area under the curve with respect to the ground), decline (morning to night) and CAR (
cortisol awakening response)) was performed. For AUCG, we found a negative association of individual experience of violence only in lACE participants. For decline, a positive association with neglect was observed for the whole study sample. The overall model for CAR was not statistically significant. Our findings support the hypothesis that type as well as timing of
ACEs might influence diurnal HPA axis functioning into old age. These findings may contribute to a better understanding of the lifelong influence of
ACEs.