Original ArticleHPA Axis Reactivity: A Mechanism Underlying the Associations Among 5-HTTLPR, Stress, and Depression
Section snippets
Participants
Participants were 67 girls aged 9 to 14 with no current or past Axis I disorder. Forty-two girls had biological mothers with no current or past Axis I disorder (low-risk daughters), and 25 girls had biological mothers with a history of recurrent episodes of MDD during their daughter’s lifetime (high-risk daughters). Participants were recruited through advertisements posted in numerous locations within the local community (e.g., Internet bulletin boards, university kiosks, supermarkets) and
Participant Characteristics
Demographic and clinical characteristics of the high-risk (RSK) and low-risk (CTL) groups are presented in Table 1. There were no significant group differences in age, t(65) < 1, proportion of girls who were postmenarcheal, χ2(1,67) < 1, WISC vocabulary scores, t(57) = 1.56, ethnicity, χ2(1,67) < 1, or mothers’ education, χ2(1,66) = 1.76, all ps > .05; the CTL group had a higher percentage of married mothers, χ2(1,66) = 12.58, p < .01. The RSK girls obtained slightly but significantly higher
Discussion
The pattern of findings reported here both provides an explanation for the results of studies documenting associations among genotype, exposure to stress, and probability of depression and extends our understanding of the relation between the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and stress reactivity. Investigators have known for decades that exposure to severe life stressors increases the likelihood of subsequent depression (35). We also know, however, that many individuals who experience life stress do not
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