Study Report
Study Information
Basic Info
| Reference |
La Greca, A. M.,2013 PMID: 24035489
|
| Citation |
La Greca, A. M., et al. (2013). "Children's risk and resilience following a natural disaster: genetic vulnerability, posttraumatic stress, and depression." J Affect Disord 151(3): 860-867. |
| Phenotype |
PTSD symptoms |
| Trauma |
2008 Hurricane Ike |
| Study Design |
Case-control |
| Study Type |
Candidate gene association study, Gene-environment interaction study |
| Sample Size |
116 children |
| SNP/Marker Size |
1 SNP, 1 Variant |
| Predominant Ethnicity |
Black, Caucasian |
| Population |
38% White, 31% Hispanic, 22% Black, 11% Asian/Other |
| Gender |
54% females |
| Age |
Mean age=8.85 years, SD=.89. |
Detail Info
| Sample Diagnosis |
Not mentioned. |
| Related Diagnostic Tools |
The Hurricane Related Traumatic Experiences-Revised (HURTE-R; La Greca et al., 2010) assessed children's hurricane exposure (perceived life threat) and hurricane-related stressors (immediate loss and disruption, ongoing loss/disruption). The Social Support Scale for Children (SSSC, Harter, 1985) assessed children's social support perceptions. The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder-Reaction Index for Children-Revised (PTSD-RI-R; Pynoos et al., 1998 and Steinberg et al., 2004) assessed children's PTSD symptoms. The Children's Depression Inventory (CDI; Kovacs, 1981) assessed depressive symptoms. |
| Sample Status |
The final sample for genetic analyses was n=115, as laboratory errors resulted in missing data for one child. |
| Controls Exposed |
Yes |
| Replication Size |
None |
| Result Summary |
For BDNF, analyses revealed several Gene by Environment interactions; greater stress was related to more symptoms of PTSD and depression, and this effect was stronger for children with the met allele. No findings emerged for 5-HTTLPR. Stressors and social support also were associated with children's PTSD and depressive symptoms. Findings should be tempered by the relatively small sample, especially for analysis that included social support. The met allele (BDNF) may play a role in children's disaster reactions. Further research should consider the complex interplay between genes, stressors, support, and psychological outcomes over time. |
| Potential Biomarker |
None |
Genetic result reported by this study
Normal genetic result reported by this study (count: 2)
| Marker |
Phenotype |
Related Gene |
Statistical Values |
Author Comments |
Marker's Category |
|
5-HTTLPR
|
PTSD symptoms |
SLC6A4 |
Main effect of genotype on PTSD symptoms, P-value>0.05. |
There was no main effect of genotype on PTSD symptoms.
There was no main effect of genotype on PTSD symptoms.
|
Non-significant |
|
rs6265
|
PTSD symptoms |
BDNF |
Main effect of genotype on PTSD symptoms, P-value>0.05. |
There was no main effect of genotype on PTSD symptoms.
There was no main effect of genotype on PTSD symptoms.
|
Non-significant |
Gene * Environment result reported by this study (count: 3)
| Marker |
Phenotype |
Related Gene |
Environment |
Statistical Values |
Author Comments |
Marker's Category |
|
rs6265
|
PTSD symptoms |
BDNF |
Ongoing loss and disruption |
GxE interaction for ongoing loss and disruption: beta=.21, P-value=.04; for the youth with the presence of the met allele: b=6.65, t(108)=3.34, P-value<.001; for youth without this allele: b=2.04, t(108)=1.84, non-significant. |
For BDNF, and for the outcome of PTSD symptoms (Table 2), a ......
For BDNF, and for the outcome of PTSD symptoms (Table 2), a significant GxE interaction was obtained for ongoing loss and disruption. As expected, the association between ongoing loss and disruption and children's PTSD symptoms was stronger for the youth with the presence of the met allele than for youth without this allele.
More...
|
Significant |
|
5-HTTLPR
|
PTSD symptoms |
SLC6A4 |
Environmental stressors |
P-value>.10 |
There was little support for a GxE interaction in predicting......
There was little support for a GxE interaction in predicting children's symptoms of PTSD or depression. For the outcome of PTSD symptoms, no interactions approached significance (based on p<.10).
More...
|
Non-significant |
|
rs6265
|
PTSD symptoms |
BDNF |
Immediate loss and disruption, social support |
GxExSS interaction:beta=-.27, P-value=.01 (emerged for the stressor of immediate loss/disruption). |
When analyses were restricted to the youth who completed the......
When analyses were restricted to the youth who completed the social support measure, a significant GxExSS interaction emerged for the stressor of immediate loss/disruption; this interaction is depicted in Fig. 1. As expected, under the condition of low social support, there was a stronger association between stress levels and PTSD symptoms for youth with the met allele than for youth without the met allele. In contrast, under conditions of high support, youth with the met allele fared significantly better than youth without the met allele, especially among those reporting high levels of stress.
More...
|
Significant |
