PTSDgene database

Pathway Enrichment Analysis Protein-Protein Interaction Analysis

Study Report

Study Information

Basic Info

Reference	Kilpatrick, D. G.,2007 PMID: 17974934
Citation	Kilpatrick, D. G., et al. (2007). "The serotonin transporter genotype and social support and moderation of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression in hurricane-exposed adults." Am J Psychiatry 164(11): 1693-1699.
Phenotype	Post-hurricane PTSD
Trauma	2004 Florida hurricane
Study Design	Cross-sectional study
Study Type	Candidate gene association study, Gene-environment interaction study
Sample Size	589 participants
SNP/Marker Size	1 Variant
Predominant Ethnicity	Caucasian, Black
Population	90% white, 3.9% black, 3.9% Hispanic, 1.7% other, 0.5% missing self-report race/ethnicity data.
Gender	36.5% male and 63.5% female (N=589)
Age	22.6% <= 59 years of age, 76.6% >= 60 years of age, 0.8% missing age data.

Detail Info

Sample Diagnosis	DSM-IV, NWS PTSD module
Related Diagnostic Tools	Hurricane exposure was assessed with five important indicators identified in previous research on Hurricanes Hugo and Andrew on the basis of their relation to posthurricane mental health functioning(more details please see the article). A modified five-item version of the Medical Outcomes Study module to assess social support during the 6 months before the hurricanes. National Women's Study PTSD module. SCID-IV.
Sample Status	This article focuses on 589 participants in the Florida Hurricane Study who completed structured telephone interviews and who provided saliva samples through the mail that yielded genotype data for the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism. Telephone interviews were conducted with a probability sample of 1,543 English- and Spanish-speaking adults from telephone households in 38 counties in Florida within 6-9 months of the 2004 Florida hurricane season, between April 5 and June 12, 2005. Older adults (ages 60 and older) were oversampled to address research questions specific to this age group. Hurricane exposure was assessed with five important indicators identified in previous research on Hurricanes Hugo and Andrew on the basis of their relation to posthurricane mental health functioning(more details please see the article).
Controls Exposed	NA
Replication Size	None
Result Summary	Results: The low-expression variant of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism increased risk of posthurricane PTSD and major depression but only under the conditions of high hurricane exposure and low social support after adjustment for sex, ancestry (as determined by Bayesian clustering of genotypes), and age. Similar effects were found for major depression. High-risk individuals (high hurricane exposure, the low-expression 5-HTTLPR variant, low social support) were at 4.5 times the risk of developing PTSD and major depression of low-risk individuals. Conclusions: The low-expression variant of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism modifies risk of postdisaster PTSD and major depression under conditions of high hurricane exposure and low social support, confirming and extending previous research.
Potential Biomarker	None

Genetic result reported by this study

Normal genetic result reported by this study (count: 1)

Marker	Phenotype	Related Gene	Statistical Values	Author Comments	Marker's Category
5-HTTLPR	Post-hurricane PTSD	SLC6A4	Final Logistic Regression: Serotonin 5-HTTLPR genotype, Adjusted Odds Ratio=0.3, 95%CI=0.1-1.1, P-value=0.07.	There was no significant result found between serotonin 5-HT...... There was no significant result found between serotonin 5-HTTLPR genotype with posthurricane PTSD in the Final Logistic Regression model. More...	Non-significant

Gene * Environment result reported by this study (count: 1)

Marker	Phenotype	Related Gene	Environment	Statistical Values	Author Comments	Marker's Category
5-HTTLPR	Post-hurricane PTSD	SLC6A4	High hurricane exposure, Low social support	5-HTTLPR genotype and high hurricane exposure:X²=0.28, df=2, P-value=0.78; 5-HTTLPR genotype and low social support: X²=2.00, df=2, P-value=0.37. The three-way-interaction term for 5-HTTLPR genotype, social support, and hurricane exposure in the adjusted logistic regression model for posthurricane PTSD diagnosis: Wald X²=4.76, df=1, P-value<0.03; odds ratio=4.5, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.2-17.4. For post hoc analyses, high-risk (N=27, were those with the short/short genotype, low social support, and high hurricane exposure) group vs. low-risk (N=498, were all others) group: odds ratio=20.1, 95% CI=1.4-296.6, P-value=0.03; high-risk group vs. medium risk (N=54, were those with the long/short genotype, low social support, and high hurricane exposure) group: odds ratio=5.0, 95% CI=0.8-30.8, P-value=0.09; medium-risk group vs. low-risk group:odds ratio=4.1, 95% CI=0.6-26.3, P-value=0.14. Secondary analyses were conducted with European Americans only (N=530), three-way interaction term for 5-HTTLPR genotype, social support, and hurricane exposure: odds ratio=4.1, 95% CI=0.9-9.5, P-value=0.07.	The two-way interaction terms for genotype by hurricane expo...... The two-way interaction terms for genotype by hurricane exposure and for genotype by social support were not significant for PTSD. The three-way-interaction term for 5-HTTLPR genotype, social support, and hurricane exposure was significant in the adjusted logistic regression model for posthurricane PTSD diagnosis. For post hoc analyses, adults in the high-risk group were significantly more likely to have posthurricane PTSD than those in the low-risk group. The high-risk group showed a tendency toward being more likely to develop PTSD than the medium-risk group. The medium-risk group was not significantly more likely to have PTSD than the low-risk group. Secondary analyses were conducted with European Americans only (N=530). The results paralleled those for the entire cohort. The three-way interaction term for 5-HTTLPR genotype, social support, and hurricane exposure showed a strong tendency for PTSD diagnosis. More...	Significant