The interaction between polygenic risk score and trauma affects the likelihood of post-traumatic stress disorder in female victims of sexual assault.

Objective: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is triggered by traumatic events, but genetic vulnerability and a history of childhood trauma may also increase the risk of PTSD onset. Thus, we investigated the interaction between genetic susceptibility according to polygenic risk score (PRS), and traumatic events.

Methods: We evaluated 68 women with PTSD who had been sexually assaulted and 63 healthy controls with no history of sexual assault. DNA was genotyped using the Infinium Global Screening Array (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA), and PRS analysis was performed using PRSice. Logistic regression models were also used to determine the interaction between childhood trauma, traumatic life events, and PRS and how they contribute to PTSD risk.

Results: We found a significant association between PRS, childhood trauma (p = 0.03; OR = 1.241), and PTSD. There was also an interaction between PRS, traumatic life events, and childhood trauma, particularly physical and emotional neglect (p = 0.028; OR = 1.010). When examining neglect separately, we found a modest association between emotional neglect and PTSD (p = 0.014; OR = 1.086).

Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of considering genetic vulnerability and traumatic experiences in understanding the etiology of PTSD.