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BMC Psychiatry
Published in: BMC Psychiatry 1/2014

Open Access 01-12-2014 | Research article

The relationship between glucocorticoid receptor polymorphisms, stressful life events, social support, and post-traumatic stress disorder

Authors: Yulong Lian, Jing Xiao, Qian Wang, Li Ning, Suzhen Guan, Hua Ge, Fuye Li, Jiwen Liu

Published in: BMC Psychiatry | Issue 1/2014

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Abstract

Background

It 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.

Methods

Three 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).

Results

Variation 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.

Conclusions

Our 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.
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Metadata
Title
The relationship between glucocorticoid receptor polymorphisms, stressful life events, social support, and post-traumatic stress disorder
Authors
Yulong Lian
Jing Xiao
Qian Wang
Li Ning
Suzhen Guan
Hua Ge
Fuye Li
Jiwen Liu
Publication date
01-12-2014
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Psychiatry / Issue 1/2014
Electronic ISSN: 1471-244X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-014-0232-9

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