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Early Childhood Environment and Genetic Interactions: the Diathesis for Suicidal Behavior

  • Mood Disorders (MA Oquendo and MF Grunebaum, Section Editors)
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Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences are associated with higher risk for suicide and suicidal behavior later in life. There are known associations between childhood trauma, particularly sexual abuse, and higher rates of suicide, non-lethal suicide attempts, and non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors in adolescence and adulthood. Emotional abuse/neglect, disrupted parental attachment, and cumulative effect of multiple forms of maltreatment, also increase risk. Yet, the causal relationship remains unclear. The diathesis-stress model provides a framework for understanding how early life adverse experiences contribute to suicide vulnerability. Current findings from the fields of biology, neurology, and genetics shed new light on mediating variables and possible causal links between early childhood trauma and suicide. In this paper, we review recent advances, particularly regarding the interaction of early life environmental adverse events with genetics factors, that increase the diathesis for psychological traits are associated with subsequent deliberate self-harm behaviors.

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  1. Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive Unit 42, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Beth S. Brodsky

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Brodsky, B.S. Early Childhood Environment and Genetic Interactions: the Diathesis for Suicidal Behavior. Curr Psychiatry Rep 18, 86 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-016-0716-z

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