Neighborhood disadvantage has consistently been linked to increased rates of morbidity and mortality,
but the mechanisms through which neighborhood environments may get “under the skin” remain
largely unknown. Differential exposure to chronic environmental stressors has been identified as
a potential pathway linking neighborhood disadvantage and poor health, particularly through the dysregulation
of stress-related biological pathways such as cortisol secretion, but the majority of existing
observational studies on stress and neuroendocrine functioning have focused exclusively on individuallevel
stressors and psychosocial characteristics. This paper aims to fill that gap by examining the association
between features of the neighborhood environment and the diurnal cortisol patterns of 308
individuals from Chicago, Illinois, USA. We found that respondents in neighborhoods with high levels of
perceived and observed stressors or low levels of social support experienced a flatter rate of cortisol
decline throughout the day. In addition, overall mean cortisol levels were found to be lower in higher
stress, lower support neighborhoods. This study adds to the growing evidence of hypocortisolism among
chronically stressed adult populations and suggests hypocortisolism rather than hypercortisolism as
a potential mechanism linking social disadvantage to poor health.