Genetic approach uncovering the pathways between childhood maltreatment and suicide attempt

Abstract

Childhood maltreatment significantly heightens the risk of suicide attempt, but the causal mechanisms and underlying pathways are not fully understood. Using genetic instruments for both childhood maltreatment (n = 185,414) and suicide attempt (cases = 29,782; controls = 519,961), we performed two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses. Our results show that higher level of childhood maltreatment is causally associated with an increased risk of suicide attempt (OR = 3.40; 95% CI, 2.34–4.96, P = 1.3e–10). We then conducted a two-step Mendelian randomization mediation analysis, identifying 11 out of 58 potential mediators between childhood maltreatment and suicide attempt. These mediators included neurobiological, psychopathological and behavioral factors. The psychopathological factors had the most significant impact, accounting for 10.4–50.2% the mediation. This study confirms the causal relationship between childhood maltreatment and suicide attempt, highlighting specific mediators-especially within the psychopathological dimension-that can guide targeted interventions to alleviate the adverse effects of childhood maltreatment and prevent suicide attempt.