Genes in context: path to more precise risk prediction in psychiatry?

This guest editorial describes the importance of converging genetics and psychosocial epidemiology research methods to understand the biopsychosocial etiology of psychiatric phenotypes.

Maladaptive health factors as potential mediators for the association between posttraumatic stress disorder and cardiovascular disease: A sex-stratified analysis in the U.S. adult population.

Objectives: This study examined sex differences for health risk factors as potential mediators in the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods: Secondary data from the 2012-2013 National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions Wave 3 was used. This cross-sectional survey contains a nationally representative sample of 36,309 U.

Functional decline during the COVID-19 pandemic among U.S. military veterans: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study.

Objectives: The coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic has contributed to widespread social and economic stressors, along with substantial health problems, including loss of life. To date, however, relatively few studies have examined the prevalence and correlates of declines in mental and physical functioning in U.S.

Prevalence and characteristics associated with firearm ownership among low-income U.S. veterans.

This study examined the prevalence of firearm ownership among low-income U.S. military veterans and associated sociodemographic, trauma, and clinical characteristics.

Evaluating the Evidence for Brain-Based Biotypes of Psychiatric Vulnerability in the Acute Aftermath of Trauma.

Objective: The weak link between subjective symptom-based diagnostic methods for posttraumatic psychopathology and objectively measured neurobiological indices forms a barrier to the development of effective personalized treatments. To overcome this problem, recent studies have aimed to stratify psychiatric disorders by identifying consistent subgroups based on objective neural markers. Along these lines, a promising 2021 study by Stevens et al.

Posttraumatic stress disorder and coping strategies in the postpartum period: A symptomics approach.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been increasingly recognized as a potential mental health concern for new mothers. Elevated PTSD symptoms have been associated with maladaptive coping strategies in the postpartum period, a time when women face many challenges, demands, and stressors. However, PTSD symptoms manifest in heterogeneous ways, and focusing only on total symptom scores may obscure more nuanced associations with particular coping styles.

Risk for PTSD symptom worsening during new PTSD treatment episode in a nationally representative sample of treatment-seeking U.S. veterans with subthreshold PTSD.

Previous research has examined risk factors associated with poorer treatment outcomes for military Veterans with PTSD. However, work has not examined risk for symptom worsening among Veterans with subthreshold PTSD. The aim of this study was to examine demographic, psychiatric, physical health, and pre-treatment PTSD symptom clusters associated with clinically significant worsening of PTSD among a nationally representative sample of United States (U.

Genetically regulated multi-omics study for symptom clusters of posttraumatic stress disorder highlights pleiotropy with hematologic and cardio-metabolic traits.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may arise in response to severe traumatic event and is diagnosed based on three main symptom clusters (reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal) per the Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders (version DSM-IV-TR). In this study, we characterized the biological heterogeneity of PTSD symptom clusters by performing a multi-omics investigation integrating genetically regulated gene, splicing, and protein expression in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex tissue within a sample of US veterans enrolled in the Million Veteran Program (N  = 186,689). We identified 30 genes in 19 regions across the three PTSD symptom clusters.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Older U.S. Military Veterans: Prevalence, Characteristics, and Psychiatric and Functional Burden.

Objective: To characterize the prevalence, characteristics, and comorbidities of subthreshold and full post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in older U.S. military veterans.

Factors associated with post-traumatic growth in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from a national sample of U.S. military veterans.

Rationale: The COVID-19 pandemic has had numerous negative effects globally, contributing to mortality, social restriction, and psychological distress. To date, however, the majority of research on the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has focused on negative psychological outcomes, such as depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Objective: Although there is debate about the constructive vs.

Psychological Consequences Among Residents and Fellows During the COVID-19 Pandemic in New York City: Implications for Targeted Interventions.

Purpose: To examine the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical trainees (residents and fellows) working at Mount Sinai Hospital (MSH) in New York City (NYC), the initial epicenter of the United States pandemic.

Method: The authors administered a survey to 991 trainees in frontline specialties working at MSH in NYC between April and May 2020. The instrument assessed symptoms of major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, COVID-19-related posttraumatic stress disorder, and burnout.

Moral distress in frontline healthcare workers in the initial epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States: Relationship to PTSD symptoms, burnout, and psychosocial functioning.

Introduction: Little is known about the relationship between moral distress and mental health problems. We examined moral distress in 2579 frontline healthcare workers (FHCWs) caring for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients during the height of the spring 2020 pandemic surge in New York City. The goals of the study were to identify common dimensions of COVID-19 moral distress; and to examine the relationship between moral distress, and positive screen for COVID-19-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, burnout, and work and interpersonal functional difficulties.

The impact of sleep quality on the incidence of PTSD: Results from a 7-Year, Nationally Representative, Prospective Cohort of U.S. Military Veterans.

Sleep and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a complex relationship, with some studies showing that disrupted sleep is associated with subsequent development of PTSD. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between sleep quality and the development of probable PTSD in U.S.

Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Frontline Health Care Workers During the Pandemic Surge in New York City.

Background: This study sought to assess the magnitude of and factors associated with mental health outcomes among frontline health care workers (FHCWs) providing care during the Spring 2020 COVID-19 pandemic surge in New York City.

Methods: A cross-sectional, survey-based study over 4 weeks during the Spring 2020 pandemic surge was used to assess symptoms of COVID-19-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in 2,579 FHCWs at the Mount Sinai Hospital. Participants were additionally asked about their occupational and personal exposures to COVID-19.

Attachment Style Moderates Polygenic Risk for Posttraumatic Stress in United States Military Veterans: Results From the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study.

Background: A polygenic risk score (PRS) derived from genome-wide association studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may inform risk for this disorder. To date, however, no known study has examined whether social environmental factors such as attachment style may moderate the relation between PRS and PTSD.

Methods: We evaluated main and interactive effects of PRS and attachment style on PTSD symptoms in a nationally representative sample of trauma-exposed European-American U.

Apolipoprotein E gene polymorphism, posttraumatic stress disorder, and cognitive function in older U.S. veterans: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study.

Background: Although the ε4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been linked to cognitive dysfunction and dementia risk, it is unknown whether they interact to predict cognitive dysfunction.

Methods: We analyzed data from European-American (EA) veterans who participated in the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study (NHRVS): main sample (n = 1,386) and primary replication sample (n = 509). EAs from the Yale-Penn Study cohort (n = 948) served as a second replication sample.

Measuring perceived efficacy for coping with posttraumatic stress disorder in the workplace.

Background: PTSD is associated with high levels of vocational difficulty, and research on relationships between PTSD and vocational adjustment may be relevant to vocational rehabilitation services to achieve optimal outcomes. Veteran perception of ability to cope with stressors in the workplace setting may play a role in rehabilitation outcome.

Objective: This article outlines preliminary steps in the development of the Vocational Efficacy in Trauma Survivors Scale (VETSS), to measure perceived efficacy in managing PTSD symptoms in the workplace.

Trajectories of alcohol consumption in U.S. military veterans: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study.

Background And Objectives: While alcohol use disorder is prevalent in U.S. veterans, little is known about the nature and determinants of predominant trajectories of alcohol consumption in this population.

Apolipoprotein E gene polymorphism, trauma burden, and posttraumatic stress symptoms in U.S. military veterans: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study.

Background: Previous research examining the association between apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymorphism and risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been inconsistent due to the use of small and select samples. This study examined the relation between APOE genotype and PTSD symptoms in two nationally representative samples of U.S.

Attachment style moderates effects of polymorphisms and childhood abuse on post-traumatic stress symptoms: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study.

To determine the main and interactive effects of four polymorphisms (rs9296158, rs3800373, rs1360780 and rs9470080), childhood abuse and attachment style in predicting severity of PTSD symptoms in two independent, nationally representative samples of US military veterans. Data were analysed from two independent samples of European-American US military veterans who participated in the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study ( = 1,585 and 577 respectively). Results revealed that carriage of two minor alleles, childhood abuse and insecure attachment style were associated with greater severity of PTSD symptoms.

Combat Exposure Severity is Associated with Reduced Cortical Thickness in Combat Veterans: A Preliminary Report.

Background: Chronic stress and related physiological responses are known to have deleterious effects on neural integrity. Combat exposure is a notoriously pathogenic stressor and with over 2 million U.S.