Kent W. Nilsson

Development of depression: sex and the interaction between environment and a promoter polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene

Previous research has demonstrated that a polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) and adverse psychosocial circumstances interact to predict depression. The purpose of the present study was to explore the extent to which sex modulates these effects. Eighty-one boys and 119 girls (16-19 years old) were interviewed about psychosocial background variables and genotyped for the 5-HTT promoter polymorphism. There were two main results. First, boys and girls carrying the short 5-HTTLPR allele react to different kinds of environmental factors. Whereas males were affected by living in public housing rather than in own owned homes and by living with separated parents, females were affected by traumatic conflicts within the family. Second, the responses of males and females carrying the short 5-HTTLPR allele to environmental stress factors go in opposite directions. Thus, whereas females tend to develop depressive symptoms, males seem to be protected from depression. The results suggest that both the molecular and the psychosocial mechanisms underlying depression may differ between boys and girls.

Obesity, Shame, and Depression in School-Aged Children: A Population-Based Study

Objectives. To investigate whether there is an association between adolescent obesity and depression in a nonclinical population and whether psychosocial and economic status and subjective experiences of shame (defined as experiences of being degraded or ridiculed by others) may account for such an association. Method.We examined associations between self-reported body mass index (BMI) and depression, controlling for gender, shame, parental employment, parental separation, and economy. The study was performed on a sample of 4703 adolescents (71% of the target population of 15- and 17-year-old students in 1 Swedish County) who answered the Survey of Adolescent Life in Vestmanland 2004. Results.Obesity was significantly related to depression and depressive symptoms among 15- and 17-year-olds. Obesity was also significantly related to experiences of shame. All significant association between BMI grouping and depression according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition disappeared when shaming experiences, parental employment, and parental separation were controlled for. Adolescents who reported many experiences of shame had an increased risk (odds ratio: 11.3; confidence interval: 8.3–14.9) for being depressed. Conclusions.There is a significant statistical association between adolescent obesity and depression. Effects of experiences of shame, parental separation, and parental employment explain this association. These results suggest that clinical treatment of obesity may sometimes not just be a matter of diet and exercise but also of dealing with issues of shame and social isolation.

Role of monoamine oxidase A genotype and psychosocial factors in male adolescent criminal activity

BACKGROUND A number of important sociological, psychological, and biological predictors of adolescent criminal behavior have been identified during the most recent decades. The aim of this study was to replicate recent findings that interactions between a polymorphism in the monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) gene promoter region and psychosocial factors might predict male adolescent criminal activity. METHODS A cross-sectional study with a randomized sample from the total population of 16- and 19-year-olds from the county of Västmanland, Sweden. Eighty-one male adolescents, who volunteered to participate, were randomly selected from groups representing different degrees of deviant risk behavior. RESULTS The present study strongly supports the notion that carrying the 3-repeat allele of the MAO-A-gene promoter increases the risk of male adolescent criminal behavior, when interacting with psychosocial factors. No effects at all of the MAO-A genotype on adolescent criminal activity were found when MAO-A genotype was considered alone (i.e., without its psychosocial context). The explained variance of the bio-psychosocial model (controlling for MAO-A) in this study exceeded the psychosocial model by 12%. CONCLUSIONS The findings support the notion that genotype and psychosocial factors interact to precipitate male adolescent criminal behavior.

Adolescent girls and criminal activity : role of MAOA-LPR genotype and psychosocial factors.

Recent findings among boys show that interactions between a polymorphism in the monoamine oxidase A gene promoter region (MAOA‐LPR) and psychosocial factors predict criminal activity. The objective of this study was to investigate whether this finding could be extended to adolescent girls. One hundred nineteen female adolescents were recruited among respondents to a cross‐sectional study of the total population of 16‐ and 19‐year old girls. These girls constituted a randomly selected sub‐sample from groups representing different degrees of risk behavior. The subjects filled in a questionnaire and were interviewed and genotyped with regard to MAOA‐LPR. The results indicate that the long, (4‐repeat) allele confer an increased risk for criminal behavior in the presence of psychosocial risk. Among girls without social risk, MAOA‐LPR genotype was of no importance for criminal behavior. The present results suggest that previous observations on adolescent males, which demonstrate that the short MAOA‐LPR genotype and psychosocial adversity interact to predict criminal activity, may not be applicable to females.

Sense of coherence and psychological well-being: improvement with age

Background Psychological well-being is important for individuals, communities and health services throughout the world because of the costs associated with psychological ill-health and the loss of quality of life for those affected and their relatives. Following a salutogenic approach, there is a link between health-promoting resources, such as generalised resistance resources and a positive state of health. Generalised resistance resources have been proposed to relate to an individuals sense of coherence (SOC). The objectives of the present study were (i) to investigate SOC in relation to age and sex, (ii) to investigate psychological well-being in relation to age and sex, and (iii) to investigate the relationship between generalised resistance resources and psychological well-being. Methods A random sample of 43 598 respondents (54% female) aged 18–85 years participated in the present study via a postal survey questionnaire. SOC was measured by the SOC-13 and well-being by the General Health Questionnaire-12 questionnaire. Results Males had both stronger SOC and well-being compared to females. There was a relationship between SOC and age, with stronger SOC in the older age groups. There was a larger proportion of individuals who experienced well-being as a function of age. In addition, an increase in SOC was related to a decrease in psychological well-being, that is, a stronger SOC corresponded to higher well-being. Conclusion Males showed a stronger SOC and more well-being than females. Moreover, SOC and well-being increased with age in both sexes. Our findings suggest that SOC may develop over a entire lifetime.

Social status and shaming experiences related to adolescent overt aggression at school.

Feelings of rejection and humiliation in interpersonal interaction are strongly related to aggressive behavior. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between social status, shaming experiences, gender and adolescent aggressive behavior by using a status-shaming model. A population-based sample of 5,396 adolescents aged from 15 to 18 completed a questionnaire that asked questions regarding psychosocial background, shaming experiences, social status of family, peer group and school and involvement in physical or verbal aggression at school. Shaming experiences, i.e. being ridiculed or humiliated by others, were strongly related to aggressive behavior. Social status and shaming were related in the prediction of aggressive behavior, suggesting that a persons social status may influence the risk for taking aggressive action when subjected to shaming experiences. Medium social status seemed to have a protective function in the association between shaming experiences and aggression. This study confirms the importance of further evaluation of the role of perceived social status and shaming experiences in the understanding of aggressive behavior. Moreover, the results indicate the need for different kinds of status measures when investigating the associations between status and behavior in adolescent populations. The results may have important implications for the prevention of bullying at school as well as other deviant aggressive behavior among adolescents.

Social capital in relation to depression, musculoskeletal pain, and psychosomatic symptoms: a cross-sectional study of a large population-based cohort of Swedish adolescents

BackgroundSocial capital has lately received much attention in health research. The present study investigated whether two measures of subjective social capital were related to psychosomatic symptoms, musculoskeletal pain, and depression in a large population of Swedish adolescents.MethodsA total of 7757 13-18 year old students anonymously completed the Survey of Adolescent Life in Vestmanland 2008 which included questions on sociodemographic background, neighbourhood social capital, general social trust, and ill health.ResultsLow neighbourhood social capital and low general social trust were associated with higher rates of psychosomatic symptoms, musculoskeletal pain, and depression. Individuals with low general social trust had more than three times increased odds of being depressed, three times increased odds of having many psychosomatic symptoms, and double the odds of having many symptoms of musculoskeletal pain.ConclusionsThe findings make an important contribution to the social capital - health debate by demonstrating relations between social capital factors and self-reported ill health in a young population.

MAOA genotype, family relations and sexual abuse in relation to adolescent alcohol consumption.

The aim of the present study was to investigate MAOA gene–environment (G*E) interactions in relation to adolescent alcohol consumption. In the county of Västmanland, Sweden, all 17–18‐year‐old students were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire and provide a saliva sample during class hours. A total of 2263 students completed the questionnaire (77.4%) and a saliva sample was provided by 2131 participants. Failed MAOA u‐variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) genotype analyses and internal non‐responses left 851 boys and 735 girls (total n = 1586) to be investigated. Alcohol use disorder identification test was used to measure hazardous alcohol consumption. MAOA u‐VNTR was used to measure biological risk in interaction with poor family relations and experience of sexual abuse. The model was also adjusted for non‐independent socioeconomic variables, separated parents, type of housing and parental unemployment. Results showed that the MAOA u‐VNTR, in interaction with psychosocial risk factors, such as the quality of family relations and sexual abuse, was related to high alcohol consumption among adolescents. Girls, carrying the long MAOA u‐VNTR variant showed a higher risk of being high alcohol consumers, whereas among boys, the short allele was related to higher alcohol consumption. The present study supports the hypothesis that there is a relation between MAOA u‐VNTR and alcohol consumption and that this relation is modulated by environmental factors. Furthermore, the present study also supports the hypothesis that there is a sex difference in the G*E interaction.

Influences of motives to play and time spent gaming on the negative consequences of adolescent online computer gaming

In this study we examined the relation between gaming-time, motives to play, and negative consequences due to playing MMORPGs. A total of 7757 Swedish adolescents (3872 boys and 3885 girls) between 13 and 18years of age completed a questionnaire during class hours. Results indicated that time spent on gaming was associated with negative consequences. This relation was further explained by motives to play. Gaming for fun and social motives were associated with a reduced risk whereas gaming to escape, to gain status, or due to demands from others were associated with an increased risk of negative consequences. Motives to play should be considered as a prime indicator for negative consequences, even more than time spent gaming. Implications of these findings for future research are discussed.

Monoamine oxidases : activities, genotypes and the shaping of behaviour

SummaryThe importance of an interaction between environment and biological factors for the expression for a particular behaviour is illustrated by results from a series of adolescents in which effects of platelet MAO activity and psychosocial environment on criminality was investigated. In a favourable environment platelet MAO-B activity was not associated with criminality, while a very strong association was found in adolescents from a bad psychosocial environment. Essentially similar findings were obtained when a MAO-A promoter polymorphism was analysed instead of platelet MAO-B activity. In boys, presence of the low functioning allele seemed to be protective against criminal activity in combination with a good environment, while it predisposed for criminality in a bad psycho-social environment. In girls, instead, homozygosity for the high activity MAO-A allele interacted with environment to predict criminality. Possible mechanisms underlying the role of monoamine oxidases for behaviour are discussed.