Risk for Depression in Deployed Soldiers: Genetic and Environmental Factors

Incidence of new major depressive disorder (MDD) is high after deployment in soldiers. Genetic susceptibility increases the risk for developing MDD after stress; this susceptibility is influenced by many genomic variants, each with small individual effects but larger combined effects. To learn more about genetic susceptibility and protective factors, researchers genotyped 3079 U.S. soldiers (96% men) without MDD in the previous month and examined baseline self-reports on measures of trait resilience (e.g., “I think of the right thing to do in a crisis”) and unit cohesion (i.e., perceived support; e.g., “I can rely on members of my unit for help”). MDD was measured through 9 months after soldiers' deployment to Afghanistan. Polygenic risk sc…