A genetically informed Registered Report on adverse childhood experiences and mental health

Jessie R. Baldwin (), Hannah M. Sallis, Tabea Schoeler, Mark J. Taylor, Alex S. F. Kwong, Jorim J. Tielbeek, Wikus Barkhuizen, Varun Warrier, Laura D. Howe, Andrea Danese, Eamon McCrory, Fruhling Rijsdijk, Henrik Larsson, Sebastian Lundström, Robert Karlsson, Paul Lichtenstein, Marcus Munafò and Jean-Baptiste Pingault
Additional contact information
Jessie R. Baldwin: University College London
Hannah M. Sallis: University of Bristol
Tabea Schoeler: University College London
Mark J. Taylor: Karolinska Institutet
Alex S. F. Kwong: University of Bristol
Jorim J. Tielbeek: VU University
Wikus Barkhuizen: University College London
Varun Warrier: University of Cambridge
Laura D. Howe: University of Bristol
Andrea Danese: King’s College London
Eamon McCrory: University College London
Fruhling Rijsdijk: Anton de Kom University
Henrik Larsson: Karolinska Institutet
Sebastian Lundström: University of Gothenburg
Robert Karlsson: Karolinska Institutet
Paul Lichtenstein: Karolinska Institutet
Marcus Munafò: University of Bristol
Jean-Baptiste Pingault: University College London

Nature Human Behaviour, 2023, vol. 7, issue 2, 269-290

Abstract: Abstract Children who experience adversities have an elevated risk of mental health problems. However, the extent to which adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) cause mental health problems remains unclear, as previous associations may partly reflect genetic confounding. In this Registered Report, we used DNA from 11,407 children from the United Kingdom and the United States to investigate gene–environment correlations and genetic confounding of the associations between ACEs and mental health. Regarding gene–environment correlations, children with higher polygenic scores for mental health problems had a small increase in odds of ACEs. Regarding genetic confounding, elevated risk of mental health problems in children exposed to ACEs was at least partially due to pre-existing genetic risk. However, some ACEs (such as childhood maltreatment and parental mental illness) remained associated with mental health problems independent of genetic confounding. These findings suggest that interventions addressing heritable psychiatric vulnerabilities in children exposed to ACEs may help reduce their risk of mental health problems.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41562-022-01482-9

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