Abstract
BackgroundIt is debatable whether or not glucocorticoid receptor (GR) polymorphisms moderate susceptibility to PTSD. Our objective was to examine the effects of stressful life events, social support, GR genotypes, and gene-environment interactions on the etiology of PTSD.MethodsThree tag single nucleotide polymorphisms, trauma events, stressful life events, and social support were assessed in 460 patients with PTSD and 1158 control subjects from a Chinese Han population. Gene–environment interactions were analyzed by generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR).ResultsVariation in GR at rs41423247 and rs258747, stressful life events, social support, and the number of traumatic events were each separately associated with the risk for PTSD. A gene–environment interaction among the polymorphisms, rs41423247 and rs258747, the number of traumatic events, stressful life events, and social support resulted in an increased risk for PTSD. High-risk individuals (a large number of traumatic events, G allele of rs258747 and rs41423247, high level stressful life events, and low social support) had a 3.26-fold increased risk of developing PTSD compared to low-risk individuals. The association was statistically significant in the sub-groups with and without childhood trauma.ConclusionsOur data support the notion that stressful life events, the number of trauma events, and social support may play a contributing role in the risk for PTSD by interacting with GR gene polymorphisms.
Highlights
It is debatable whether or not glucocorticoid receptor (GR) polymorphisms moderate susceptibility to Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
The findings have revealed that specific genetic polymorphisms appear to increase PTSD susceptibility in individuals who experience the appropriate “disordertriggering” situations
The genotypic distributions of the three polymorphisms were all in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) in the case and control groups, which suggests that no particular genetic selection of the study groups occurred
Summary
It is debatable whether or not glucocorticoid receptor (GR) polymorphisms moderate susceptibility to PTSD. The associations between PTSD and these stressful life events have been examined in several [4,7,8] These results seem to confirm that successive or cumulative exposure to stressful or adverse events weaken one’s coping ability, increase the stress -responsiveness of the HPA axis and psychological vulnerability to trauma, and increases the risk for PTSD; perceived and embedded social support may influence an individual’s subjective appraisal and his/her negative internal or external responses to a traumatic event [12]. Apart from these environmental risk factors, genetic factors play an important role in determining susceptibility among those who have experienced trauma. The findings have revealed that specific genetic polymorphisms appear to increase PTSD susceptibility in individuals who experience the appropriate “disordertriggering” situations
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
