Stress sensitization to psychological adjustment following childhood adversity: Moderation by serotonergic multilocus genetic variation

Abstract

Background

Exposure to adverse childhood experiences may heighten adolescents' sensitivity to stress, which influences their psychological adjustment over their lifetimes. Some research indicates that serotonergic genetic variation moderates how environmental stressors impact psychological adjustment. However, there are recognized limitations in examining gene-environment interactions using only single polymorphisms.

Methods

The present study employed a multilocus genetic profile score (MGPS) approach to measure serotonergic genetic variations and examines their interaction with childhood abuse and friendship quality as predictors of the outcomes of psychological adjustment (depressive symptoms and sleep problems) in an adolescent sample (14.15 ± 0.63 years; N = 525).

Results

Serotonergic genetic factors moderated stress sensitivity induced by adverse childhood experiences. Adolescent psychological adjustment appeared to result from interactions between genetics and the environments. These findings were further supported by rigorous significance testing and sensitivity analyses.

Conclusion

The results highlight the strong utility of using MGPS to investigate gene-environment-environment interactions related to adolescent psychological adjustment.