Adrenocortical responses of emerging adults in California in the two months following the Pulse night club massacre: Evidence for distal stress responses

This study examined adrenocortical responses in the days following the Pulse nightclub massacre on June 12, 2016, among emerging adults in Northern California (N = 202; M = 23.18 years, SD = 2.56; 25% LGBQ-Latinx, 25% LGBQ-White, 25% Straight-Latinx, and 25% Straight-White) between June 13—August 12, 2016. As predicted, participants tested more proximally to the massacre had higher waking cortisol (intercepts) and flatter diurnal cortisol output (slopes), indicative of time-dependent adrenocortical arousal across the day. The effect of days post-massacre on waking cortisol was moderated by daily distress, with days since the Pulse massacre predicting waking cortisol significant only for participants reporting lower distress; participants who reported feeling higher daily distress had elevated waking cortisol across the testing period. These findings were independent of weekly personal stressors, and consistent across participants’ demographic and identity characteristics. The violent attack at the Pulse nightclub was connected to increased waking cortisol and diurnal cortisol production for several days after the massacre, in a distal population exposed to the massacre vicariously, and especially for individuals not experiencing other, personal stressors. Heightened physiological responses to violent crimes support policy efforts to protect vulnerable communities, including violence prevention, gun control, and community-based trauma response services for those directly and indirectly affected by gun violence.