Psychiatric risk and resilience: Plasticity genes and positive mental health
Abstract Objective The at‐risk mental state (ARMS) for psychosis has long played a key role in diathesis‐stress models of schizophrenia. More recent studies, however, have called for extending the boundaries of the ARMS construct beyond attenuated psychosis in nonhelp‐seeking samples to include not...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Brain and Behavior |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.2137 |
| _version_ | 1818915001304350720 |
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| author | Paul G. Nestor Victoria Choate Hasler Keira O'Donovan Hannah E. Lapp Sara B. Boodai Richard Hunter |
| author_facet | Paul G. Nestor Victoria Choate Hasler Keira O'Donovan Hannah E. Lapp Sara B. Boodai Richard Hunter |
| author_sort | Paul G. Nestor |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Objective The at‐risk mental state (ARMS) for psychosis has long played a key role in diathesis‐stress models of schizophrenia. More recent studies, however, have called for extending the boundaries of the ARMS construct beyond attenuated psychosis in nonhelp‐seeking samples to include not only other vulnerability indicators but also protective factors related to genotype, mental health, personality, and cognition. Method Accordingly, we assessed in a sample of 100 college students, the ARMS construct with the Brief Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ‐B) for psychosis, in conjunction with measures of positive mental health, childhood adversity, psychiatric symptoms, personality traits, social cognition, and genetic variables derived from assays of the serotonin transporter (5‐HTTLPR) and the brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Results Higher PQ‐B scores correlated positively with vulnerability indicators of childhood adversity and heightened levels of a wide variety of psychiatric symptoms but correlated negatively with protective factors of better overall mental health, social cognition as well as with a distinct NEO profile marked by reduced neuroticism and elevated agreeableness and conscientiousness. Multivariate analyses indicated that a composite ARMS measure comprised of PQ‐B scores plus anxiety and depression symptoms revealed significant genotype differences, with lowest risk and highest resilience for allelic carriers of 5‐HTTLPR‐short and BDNF Met polymorphisms. Conclusions Results provided support for extending the ARMS construct, pointing to important contributions of personality, social cognition, and genes that support neural plasticity in mitigating vulnerability and enhancing resilience and well‐being. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T23:55:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-41bbb2f5ba1b4e2fa62351fa4bcace23 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2162-3279 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T23:55:20Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain and Behavior |
| spelling | doaj.art-41bbb2f5ba1b4e2fa62351fa4bcace232022-12-21T20:01:01ZengWileyBrain and Behavior2162-32792021-06-01116n/an/a10.1002/brb3.2137Psychiatric risk and resilience: Plasticity genes and positive mental healthPaul G. Nestor0Victoria Choate Hasler1Keira O'Donovan2Hannah E. Lapp3Sara B. Boodai4Richard Hunter5Department of Psychology University of Massachusetts Boston Boston MA USADepartment of Psychology University of Massachusetts Boston Boston MA USADepartment of Psychology University of Massachusetts Boston Boston MA USADepartment of Psychology University of Massachusetts Boston Boston MA USADepartment of Psychology University of Massachusetts Boston Boston MA USADepartment of Psychology University of Massachusetts Boston Boston MA USAAbstract Objective The at‐risk mental state (ARMS) for psychosis has long played a key role in diathesis‐stress models of schizophrenia. More recent studies, however, have called for extending the boundaries of the ARMS construct beyond attenuated psychosis in nonhelp‐seeking samples to include not only other vulnerability indicators but also protective factors related to genotype, mental health, personality, and cognition. Method Accordingly, we assessed in a sample of 100 college students, the ARMS construct with the Brief Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ‐B) for psychosis, in conjunction with measures of positive mental health, childhood adversity, psychiatric symptoms, personality traits, social cognition, and genetic variables derived from assays of the serotonin transporter (5‐HTTLPR) and the brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Results Higher PQ‐B scores correlated positively with vulnerability indicators of childhood adversity and heightened levels of a wide variety of psychiatric symptoms but correlated negatively with protective factors of better overall mental health, social cognition as well as with a distinct NEO profile marked by reduced neuroticism and elevated agreeableness and conscientiousness. Multivariate analyses indicated that a composite ARMS measure comprised of PQ‐B scores plus anxiety and depression symptoms revealed significant genotype differences, with lowest risk and highest resilience for allelic carriers of 5‐HTTLPR‐short and BDNF Met polymorphisms. Conclusions Results provided support for extending the ARMS construct, pointing to important contributions of personality, social cognition, and genes that support neural plasticity in mitigating vulnerability and enhancing resilience and well‐being.https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.2137at‐risk mental statepersonalityplasticity genespositive mental healthstress |
| spellingShingle | Paul G. Nestor Victoria Choate Hasler Keira O'Donovan Hannah E. Lapp Sara B. Boodai Richard Hunter Psychiatric risk and resilience: Plasticity genes and positive mental health Brain and Behavior at‐risk mental state personality plasticity genes positive mental health stress |
| title | Psychiatric risk and resilience: Plasticity genes and positive mental health |
| title_full | Psychiatric risk and resilience: Plasticity genes and positive mental health |
| title_fullStr | Psychiatric risk and resilience: Plasticity genes and positive mental health |
| title_full_unstemmed | Psychiatric risk and resilience: Plasticity genes and positive mental health |
| title_short | Psychiatric risk and resilience: Plasticity genes and positive mental health |
| title_sort | psychiatric risk and resilience plasticity genes and positive mental health |
| topic | at‐risk mental state personality plasticity genes positive mental health stress |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.2137 |
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