OBJECTIVE: We examined children's risk and resilience following a natural disaster, evaluating the role of stress, social support, and two genetic markers: the short allele of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR), and the met allele of the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF).Under high levels of hurricane exposure or hurricane-related stressors, we expected children displaying the markers would report greater symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression than children without these markers. Social support was explored as an additional moderating variable. METHOD: Eight months after Hurricane Ike, 116 children (M age=8.85 years, SD=.89; 54% girls) residing in Galveston, Texas, provided saliva samples and completed measures of hurricane exposure and stress, and symptoms of PTSD and depression; 80 also completed a social support measure. RESULTS: 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. LIMITATIONS: Findings should be tempered by the relatively small sample, especially for analysis that included social support. CONCLUSIONS: 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.
OBJECTIVE: We examined children's risk and resilience following a natural disaster, evaluating the role of stress, social support, and two genetic markers: the short allele of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR), and the met allele of the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF).Under high levels of hurricane exposure or hurricane-related stressors, we expected children displaying the markers would report greater symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression than children without these markers. Social support was explored as an additional moderating variable. METHOD: Eight months after Hurricane Ike, 116 children (M age=8.85 years, SD=.89; 54% girls) residing in Galveston, Texas, provided saliva samples and completed measures of hurricane exposure and stress, and symptoms of PTSD and depression; 80 also completed a social support measure. RESULTS: 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. LIMITATIONS: Findings should be tempered by the relatively small sample, especially for analysis that included social support. CONCLUSIONS: 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.
Authors: Betty S Lai; Annette M La Greca; Courtney A Colgan; Whitney Herge; Sherilynn Chan; Julia Medzhitova; Mary Short; Beth Auslander Journal: J Pediatr Psychol Date: 2020-10-01
Authors: Alexandria Meyer; Carla Kmett Danielson; Allison P Danzig; Vickie Bhatia; Sarah R Black; Evelyn Bromet; Gabrielle Carlson; Greg Hajcak; Roman Kotov; Daniel N Klein Journal: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry Date: 2017-03-06 Impact factor: 8.829
Authors: Caroline E Kerns; R Meredith Elkins; Aubrey L Carpenter; Tommy Chou; Jennifer Greif Green; Jonathan S Comer Journal: J Affect Disord Date: 2014-06-02 Impact factor: 4.839
Authors: Autumn Kujawa; Greg Hajcak; Allison P Danzig; Sarah R Black; Evelyn J Bromet; Gabrielle A Carlson; Roman Kotov; Daniel N Klein Journal: Biol Psychiatry Date: 2015-09-25 Impact factor: 13.382