Polygenic risk for autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and neuroticism is associated with the experience of childhood abuse.

Abstract

People who experience childhood abuse are at increased risk for mental illness. Twin studies suggest that inherited genetic risk for mental illness may account for some of these associations. Yet the hypothesis that individuals who have experienced childhood abuse may carry genetic loading for mental illness has never been tested with genetic data. Using polygenic risk scores for six psychiatric disorders - attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), bipolar disorder (BPD), major depressive disorder (MDD), neuroticism, and schizophrenia – we tested whether genetic risk for mental illness was associated with increased risk of experiencing three types of childhood abuse: physical/emotional abuse, physical assault, and sexual abuse, in a cohort of white non-Hispanic women (N=11,315). ADHD and MDD genetic risk scores were associated with higher risk of experiencing each type of childhood abuse, while neuroticism, schizophrenia, BPD, and ASD genetic scores were associated with higher risk of experiencing physical/emotional abuse and physical assault, but not sexual abuse. Sensitivity analyses examining potential bias from differential recall of childhood trauma, parental socioeconomic status, and population stratification were consistent with the main findings. A one standard deviation increase in genetic risk for mental illness was associated with modestly elevated risk of experiencing childhood abuse (OR range: 1.05-1.19). Therefore, inherited genetic risk may partly account for the association of childhood abuse with mental illness. In addition, future treatments for mental illness will benefit from taking into consideration the co-occurrence of childhood trauma and genetic loading.