Identifying differential interactions of potentially traumatic experiences with genetic risk for posttraumatic stress disorder

Childhood emotional and physical neglect also demonstrated greater gene-environment interactions than childhood abuse. Interaction patterns varied across genes and variants, with several leading PTSD-associated genes (e.g. <i>ANAPC, FAM120A, SGCD</i>) having particularly strong interactions with certain traumas. Several genes (<i>DTX4, PSMD12, TYW3, ZNF660</i>) demonstrated consistently stronger interactions across all childhood or all adulthood traumas.

Differences in gene-environment interactions across traumas were not explained by variation in exposure rates, associations with PTSD symptoms, or gene-environment correlations.</p> <p><b>Conclusions:</b> Our findings are consistent with differential gene-environment interactions on PTSD across potentially traumatic experiences, with those in childhood exhibiting the strongest interactions. To account for the moderating role of trauma type on genetic associations, genetic research on PTSD should incorporate detailed trauma exposure information, which may improve PTSD risk prediction and support more personalised prevention approaches.</p> <p></p><p>Genetic factors may influence how people respond to potentially traumatic experiences, which shapes individual risk for PTSD.</p><p>We found that genetic factors interacted more strongly with childhood traumas than adulthood traumas, and particularly with childhood emotional/physical neglect.</p><p>We also found that many genes varied in the traumas they interacted most strongly with.</p><p>Our results highlight the importance of accommodating trauma exposure information in PTSD genetics research.</p><p></p> <p>Genetic factors may influence how people respond to potentially traumatic experiences, which shapes individual risk for PTSD.</p> <p>We found that genetic factors interacted more strongly with childhood traumas than adulthood traumas, and particularly with childhood emotional/physical neglect.</p> <p>We also found that many genes varied in the traumas they interacted most strongly with.</p> <p>Our results highlight the importance of accommodating trauma exposure information in PTSD genetics research.</p>