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Effects of Environmental Stress and Gender on Associations among Symptoms of Depression and the Serotonin Transporter Gene Linked Polymorphic Region (5-HTTLPR)

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Abstract

The short (s) variant of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene linked functional polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) is associated with depression. Stressful life events, gender, and race have been shown to moderate this association. We examined the relationship between 5-HTTLPR genotype and symptoms of depression in two samples. Study 1 = 288 participants from a study of caregiver stress; and Study 2 = 142 participants from a study examining psychosocial stressors, genetics, and health. Main effects of 5-HTTLPR on symptoms of depression were examined, along with moderation by stress (caregiving status or low childhood socioeconomic status (SES), gender, and race. The 5-HTTLPR × stress group × gender interaction was significant in both samples (P < 0.003, and P < 0.008, respectively). For females, the s allele, combined with caregiving stress (Study 1) or low childhood SES (Study 2), was associated with higher depression scores as compared to participants in the non-stressor group and those with the long (l) allele; whereas, in males, the l allele, combined with a stressor, was associated with higher depression scores as compared to those in the non-stressor group and those with the s allele. Findings from two independent samples suggest that the association of 5-HTTLPR with depression varies according to gender and stressful life events.

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Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported by the National Institute on Aging, with co-funding by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Institute of Mental Health grant R01AG19605; by the Clinical Research Unit grant M01RR30; by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute grant 5P01 HL036587; and by the Duke Behavioral Medicine Research Center.

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  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Box 2969, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Beverly H. Brummett, Stephen H. Boyle, Ilene C. Siegler & Redford B. Williams

  2. Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Cynthia M. Kuhn

  3. Center for Human Genetics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Allison Ashley-Koch & Ann Collins

  4. Department of Psychology, Duke University, Durham, USA

    Charles R. Jonassaint

  5. Miami Institute of Human Genomics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Fl, USA

    Stephan Züchner

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  1. Beverly H. Brummett
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Correspondence to Beverly H. Brummett.

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Brummett, B.H., Boyle, S.H., Siegler, I.C. et al. Effects of Environmental Stress and Gender on Associations among Symptoms of Depression and the Serotonin Transporter Gene Linked Polymorphic Region (5-HTTLPR). Behav Genet 38, 34–43 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-007-9172-1

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