scholarly journals Mental Health, Schooling Attainment and Polygenic Scores: Are There Significant Gene-Environment Associations?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikesh Amin ◽  
Jere R. Behrman ◽  
Jason M. Fletcher ◽  
Carlos A. Flores ◽  
Alfonso Flores-Lagunes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
College Education ◽  
Add Health ◽  
Fixed Effect ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Gene Environment ◽  
Polygenic Scores

AbstractIt is well-established that (1) there is a large genetic component to mental health, and (2) higher schooling attainment is associated with better mental health. Given these two observations, we test the hypothesis that schooling may attenuate the genetic predisposition to poor mental health. Specifically, we estimate associations between a polygenic score (PGS) for depressive symptoms, schooling attainment and gene-environment (GxE) interactions with mental health (depressive symptoms and depression), in two distinct United States datasets at different adult ages-29 years old in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) and 54 years old in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS). OLS results indicate that the association of the PGS with mental health is similar in Add Health and the WLS, but the association of schooling attainment is much larger in Add Health than in the WLS. There is some suggestive evidence that the association of the PGS with mental health is lower for more-schooled older individuals in the WLS, but there is no evidence of any significant GxE associations in Add Health. Quantile regression estimates also show that in the WLS the GxE associations are statistically significant only in the upper parts of the conditional depressive symptoms score distribution. We assess the robustness of the OLS results to omitted variable bias by using the siblings samples in both datasets to estimate sibling fixed-effect regressions. The sibling fixed-effect results must be qualified, in part due to low statistical power. However, the sibling fixed-effect estimates show that college education is associated with fewer depressive symptoms in both datasets.

scholarly journals Mental Health, Schooling Attainment and Polygenic Scores: Are There Significant Gene-Environment Associations?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikesh Amin ◽  
Jason Fletcher ◽  
Jere Behrman ◽  
Carlos A Flores ◽  
Carlos A Flores ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
College Education ◽  
Add Health ◽  
Fixed Effect ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Gene Environment ◽  
Polygenic Scores

It is well-established that (1) there is a large genetic component to mental health, and (2) higher schooling attainment is associated with better mental health. Given these two observations, we test the hypothesis that schooling may attenuate the genetic predisposition to poor mental health. Specifically, we estimate associations between a polygenic score (PGS) for depressive symptoms, schooling attainment and gene-environment (GxE) interactions with mental health (depressive symptoms and depression), in two distinct United States datasets at different adult ages- 29 years old in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) and 54 years old in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS). OLS results indicate that the association of the PGS with mental health is similar in Add Health and the WLS, but the association of schooling attainment is much larger in Add Health than in the WLS. There is some suggestive evidence that the association of the PGS with mental health is lower for more-schooled older individuals in the WLS, but there is no evidence of any significant GxE associations in Add Health. Quantile regression estimates also show that in the WLS the GxE associations are statistically significant only in the upper parts of the conditional depressive symptoms score distribution. We assess the robustness of the OLS results to omitted variable bias by using the siblings samples in both datasets to estimate sibling fixed-effect regressions. The sibling fixed-effect results must be qualified, in part due to low statistical power. However, the sibling fixed-effect estimates show that college education is associated with fewer depressive symptoms in both datasets.

Does Social Support Mediate the Association Between Maltreatment Experiences and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonya Negriff ◽  
Julie A. Cederbaum ◽  
Daniel S. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Adolescent Development ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Family Social Support ◽  
Path Models

The current study examined social support as a mediator between maltreatment experiences (number of victimizations, maltreatment types) and depressive symptoms in adolescence. The data came from the first two time points of a longitudinal study of the effects of maltreatment on adolescent development. The enrolled sample were 454 male and females ( n = 303 maltreated, n = 151 comparison) between 9 and 13 years ( M age = 10.82); Time 2 (T2) occurred approximately 1 year after baseline. Maltreatment data came from case records; participants reported on perceived social support and depressive symptoms. Results from path models indicated that depressive symptoms mediated the association between maltreatment experiences (i.e., physical abuse, neglect, and number of maltreatment victimizations) and family social support. There was no evidence that social support functioned as a mediator. This is the first study to find support for depressive symptoms as a mechanism linking maltreatment with decreased perceived family support. These findings point to the importance of assessing mental health and social support simultaneously to understand the functioning of youth with maltreatment histories.

scholarly journals Effect of gene, environment and maternal depressive symptoms on pre-adolescence behavior problems – a longitudinal study

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Agnafors ◽  
Erika Comasco ◽  
Marie Bladh ◽  
Gunilla Sydsjö ◽  
Linda DeKeyser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Behavior Problems ◽  
Maternal Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Gene Environment

scholarly journals Associations between self-reported changes in physical activities and sedentary behaviors and changes in mental health during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: findings from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Cillian McDowell ◽  
Mark Ward ◽  
Christine McGarrigle ◽  
Aisling O'Halloran ◽  
Sarah Gibney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Sedentary Behaviors ◽  
Sedentary Behaviours ◽  
Do It Yourself

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and containment strategies employed to limit its spread have profoundly impacted daily life. Emerging evidence shows that mental health worsened compared to pre-pandemic trends. In this study, we examine associations of self-reported changes in physical activities and sedentary behaviors with mental health changes during the COVID-19 pandemic among older Irish adults. Methods: This study used data from Wave 5 (2018) and the COVID-19 study (July–November 2020) of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). Depressive symptoms were measured using the 8-item Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale; Perceived stress, using the 4‐item Perceived Stress Scale. Participants reported perceived changes in participation in physical activities and sedentary behaviours before and after the outbreak of COVID-19. Linear regressions examined separate associations between changes in physical activities and sedentary behaviours and changes in perceived stress/depressive symptoms. Adjustment included demographics, body mass index, smoking, alcohol, chronic diseases and stress/depressive symptoms at Wave 5. Results: Among 2,645 participants (mean age, 68.2yrs; 56% female), 19.5% (95%CI: 18.2–20.9) reported clinically significant depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared to before the pandemic, reduced and no exercise at home and walking were associated with increased depressive symptoms and stress. A reduction in home DIY (do it yourself) was also associated with both depression and stress while doing no DIY at all was associated with increased stress but not depressive symptoms (all p<.05). Reduced hobbies and reading were associated with higher depressive symptoms, and both reduced and increased screen time were associated with increased depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Greater decreases in mental health were seen among those who reported negative changes in their physical and sedentary activities. These findings have important implications for mental health care both as we transition back to normal life and for responses to future pandemics.

scholarly journals Undiagnosed depression, persistent depressive symptoms and seeking mental health care: analysis of immigrant and non-immigrant participants of the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Farid ◽  
P. Li ◽  
D. Da Costa ◽  
W. Afif ◽  
J. Szabo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Treatment Of Depression ◽  
Female Immigrants ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Aims Early diagnosis and treatment of depression are associated with better prognosis. We used baseline data of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (2012–2015; ages 45–85 years) to examine differences in prevalence and predictors of undiagnosed depression (UD) between immigrants and non-immigrants at baseline and persistent and/or emerging depressive symptoms (DS) 18 months later. At this second time point, we also examined if a mental health care professional (MHCP) had been consulted. Methods We excluded individuals with any prior mood disorder and/or current anti-depressive medication use at baseline. UD was defined as the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression 10 score ⩾10. DS at 18 months were defined as Kessler 10 score ⩾19. The associations of interest were examined in multivariate logistic regression models. Results Our study included 4382 immigrants and 18 620 non-immigrants. The mean age (standard deviation) in immigrants was 63 (10.3) years v. 65 (10.7) years in non-immigrants and 52.1% v. 57.1% were male. Among immigrants, 12.2% had UD at baseline of whom 34.2% had persistent DS 18 months later v. 10.6% and 31.4%, respectively, among non-immigrants. Female immigrants were more likely to have UD than female non-immigrants (odds ratio 1.50, 95% confidence interval 1.25–1.80) but no difference observed for men. The risk of persistent DS and consulting an MHCP at 18 months did not differ between immigrants and non-immigrants. Conclusions Female immigrants may particularly benefit from depression screening. Seeking mental health care in the context of DS should be encouraged.

scholarly journals Depression in Later Life: The Role of Adult Children’s College Education for Older Parents’ Mental Health in the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 389-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenjira J Yahirun ◽  
Connor M Sheehan ◽  
Krysia N Mossakowski
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Family Background ◽  
College Education ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The United States ◽  
College Completion ◽  
Older Parents ◽  
College Attainment ◽  
Socioeconomic Gradient

Abstract Objectives Research on the socioeconomic gradient in mental health links disadvantaged family background with subsequent symptoms of depression, demonstrating the “downstream” effect of parental resources on children’s mental health. This study takes a different approach by evaluating the “upstream” influence of adult children’s educational attainment on parents’ depressive symptoms. Methods Using longitudinal data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (N = 106,517 person-years), we examine whether children’s college attainment influences their parents’ mental health in later life and whether this association increases with parental age. We also assess whether the link between children’s college completion and parents’ depression differs by parents’ own education. Results Parents with children who completed college have significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms than parents without college-educated children, although the gap between parents narrows with age. In addition, at baseline, parents with less than a high school education were more positively affected by their children’s college completion than parents who themselves had a college education, a finding which lends support to theories of resource substitution. Discussion Offspring education is an overlooked resource that can contribute to mental health disparities among older adults in a country with unequal access to college educations.

scholarly journals Mental Health, Schooling Attainment and Polygenic Scores: Are There Significant Gene-Environment Associations?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikesh Amin ◽  
Jere Behrman ◽  
Jason M. Fletcher ◽  
Carlos A. Flores ◽  
Alfonso Flores-Lagunes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Gene Environment ◽  
Polygenic Scores ◽  
Significant Gene

scholarly journals A Polygenic Score for Body Mass Index is Associated with Depressive Symptoms via Early Life Stress: Evidence for gene-environment correlation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reut Avinun ◽  
Ahmad R. Hariri
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Indirect Effect ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Early Life Stress ◽  
Gene Environment

ABSTRACTBackgroundIncreasing childhood overweight and obesity rates are associated with not only adverse physical, but also mental health outcomes, including depression. These negative outcomes may be caused and/or exacerbated by the bullying and shaming overweight individuals experience. As body mass index (BMI) can be highly heritable, we hypothesized that a genetic risk toward higher BMI, will predict higher early life stress (ELS), which in turn will predict higher depressive symptoms in adulthood. Such a process will reflect an evocative gene-environment correlation (rGE) wherein an individual’s genetically influenced phenotype evokes a reaction from the environment that subsequently shapes the individual’s health.MethodsWe modeled genetic risk using a polygenic score of BMI derived from a recent large GWAS meta-analysis. Self-reports were used for the assessment of ELS and depressive symptoms in adulthood. The discovery sample consisted of 524 non-Hispanic Caucasian university students from the Duke Neurogenetics Study (DNS; 278 women, mean age 19.78±1.23 years) and the independent replication sample consisted of 5 930 white British individuals from the UK biobank (UKB; 3 128 women, mean age 62.66±7.38 years).ResultsA significant mediation effect was found in the DNS (indirect effect=.207, bootstrapped SE=.10, 95% CI: .014 to .421), and then replicated in the UKB (indirect effect=.04, bootstrapped SE=.01, 95% CI: .018 to .066). Higher BMI polygenic scores were associated with higher depressive symptoms through the experience of higher ELS.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that evocative rGE may contribute to weight-related mental health problems and stress the need for interventions that aim to reduce weight bias, specifically during childhood.

scholarly journals Economic Crisis and Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetsuya Matsubayashi ◽  
Yumi Ishikawa ◽  
Michiko Ueda
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Low Income ◽  
College Education ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Economic Shocks ◽  
Female Workers ◽  
Population Mental Health

Background The economic crisis induced by the COVID-19 pandemic can have a serious impact on population mental health. This study seeks to understand whether the economic shocks associated with the pandemic have a differential impact by sex because the current pandemic may have disproportionally affected women compared to men. Methods We analyzed data from original online monthly surveys of the general population in Japan conducted between April 2020 and February 2021 (N=9000). We investigate whether individuals who had experienced a major job-related were more likely to have experienced depressive symptoms (PHQ-9) and anxiety disorders (GAD-7) during the pandemic and also if its effect varied by sex. Results The results of logistic regression suggest that depressive and anxiety symptoms were more prevalent among those who had recently experienced drastic changes in employment and working conditions, as well as among individuals with low income and those without college education. We also found that female respondents who had experienced a major employment-related change were more likely to have experienced both depression and anxiety disorders, but its effect on male workers was limited to depressive symptoms. Limitations We do not have data on the pre-COVID mental health conditions of our respondents, and our findings are descriptive. Some segments of the population may not be represented in our sample because our surveys were conducted online. Conclusions COVID-induced economic shocks can have a differential detrimental effect on mental health depending on the sex of workers. The mental health of female workers can be particularly vulnerable.

scholarly journals Emerging Adults’ Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Longitudinal Study on the Importance of Social Support

2021 ◽  
pp. 216769682110399
Author(s):  
Yvonne H. M. van den Berg ◽  
William J. Burk ◽  
Antonius H. N. Cillessen ◽  
Karin Roelofs
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Best Friends ◽  
General Psychological Distress

The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate emerging adults’ mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether social support from mothers, fathers, and best friends moderated the change in mental health. Participants were 98 emerging adults (46% men) who were assessed prior to COVID-19 ( Mage = 20.60 years) and during the first lockdown ( Mage = 22.67 years). Results indicated that the pandemic did not uniformly lead to elevated levels of mental health problems, but instead depended on level of mental health problems prior to COVID-19 and the source of support. For emerging adults who already experienced more problems prior to COVID-19, more maternal support was related to decreases in general psychological distress and depressive symptoms, whereas more paternal support was related to increases in general psychological distress and depressive symptoms. Support from best friends were not associated with (changes in) mental health.

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