Interaction Between FKBP5 Polymorphisms and Childhood Trauma on Depressive Symptoms: The Moderating Role of Resilience

Background: Previous gene-environment studies on depression have examined the interaction between FKBP5 gene and childhood trauma, but the results are inconsistent and few studies have focused on Asian adolescents. Psychological resilience may explain for the inconsistency. We examined the interaction between FKBP5 gene and childhood trauma on depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents, and firstly explored the role of resilience in the relationship. Methods: This study comprised 942 participants (448 males, 47.6%) randomly recruited from four senior schools in Wuhan, Hubei of China. Depressive symptoms, childhood trauma, and resilience data were collected. Three potentially functional FKBP5 SNPs were selected for genotyping. Findings: Participants carrying minor alleles of FKBP5 polymorphisms (rs3800373, rs1360780, and rs4713916) and a haplotype derived from these SNPs interacted with childhood physical abuse predicted higher CES-D scores after considering the effect of resilience (Padj for interactions 0.05).   Interpretation: FKBP5 variants in combination with childhood physical abuse predict more pronounced depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents, while resilience plays a moderating role in the associations. Our findings suggest measures combining childhood trauma prevention with promoting resilience might yield better to decrease depression problems in adolescents.   Funding Statement: This study was supported by a grant from National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 81472995).   Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interests. Ethics Approval Statement: This study was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee, Huazhong University of science and technology ([2014] IEC (S088)).