Can there be a genetic marker for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder outside the Diagnostic Interview within the Scope of Forensic Psychiatry?

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the role of two candidate polymorphisms to improve the diagnosis of Post-Traumatic StressDisorder (PTSD) in forensic psychiatry settings.

Methods: Individuals who applied to our unit with PTSD symptoms following a traffic accident were included. The control group consisted of people who had experienced a similar accident without any symptoms. Sociodemographic data-form, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI 3) were applied to the patients and controls, and the frequencies of the rs8042149 polymorphic allele of the RORA gene and the rs717947 polymorphic allele (4p15) were investigated.

Results: A total of 103 people were included (54 case, 49 control). The rates of polymorphisms were not different between the groups. Higher education levels were associated with lower PTSD incidence while higher scores in the Social Subscale of ASI strongly predicted the occurrence of PTSD.

Conclusion: The polymorphisms assessed did not help to differentiate the groups in the current sample. The potential of the Social Subscale of ASI-3 in predicting the occurrence of PTSD following a trauma should be evaluated in a longitudinal design.