Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 14, 2026

Rapid Fractionation and Isolation of Whole Blood Components in Samples Obtained from a Community-based Setting
Published on: November 30, 2015
Youth genetic vulnerability to maternal depressive symptoms: 5-HTTLPR as moderator of intergenerational transmission
Caroline W Oppenheimer1, Benjamin L Hankin, Jami F Young
1Department of Psychology, University of Denver, 2155 South Race Street, Denver, CO 80208, USA. Caroline.Oppenheimer@gmail.com
Background:
Maternal depressive symptoms are a strong predictor of increases in depressive symptoms in offspring, yet knowledge of individual differences that may moderate the association between youth and maternal symptoms is still relatively scant. Youth genetic susceptibility to maternal depressive symptoms in particular is a nearly unexplored area of research.
Methods:
This study used a multiwave prospective design and lagged hierarchical linear modeling analyses to examine whether youth 5-HTTLPR genotype moderated the longitudinal association between mother and youth depressive symptoms in a community sample (N = 241 youth). Maternal and youth symptoms were assessed every 3 months over 1 year (five waves of data).
Results:
Youth 5-HTTLPR interacted with idiographic elevations in maternal depressive symptoms (elevations relative to mothers' average level of symptoms) to predict prospective increases in youth symptoms 3 months later. Youth with the SS genotype experienced greatest increases in depressive symptoms when exposed to elevations in maternal symptoms. Youth 5-HTTLPR did not interact with maternal nomothetic elevations in depressive symptoms (severity of symptoms compared to the sample as a whole).
Conclusion:
These findings advance knowledge on genetic susceptibility for intergenerational transmission of depression between mothers and their children.
More Related Videos
06:39Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
Published on: June 13, 2021
09:09Generating a Reproducible Model of Mid-Gestational Maternal Immune Activation using Poly(I:C) to Study Susceptibility and Resilience in Offspring
Published on: August 17, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Human Genetics
The complex relationship between genetics and psychology is observable through common biological components such...
Depressive Disorders: Etiology
Biological Factors in Depression
Biological predispositions significantly influence the risk of developing depressive disorders. Genetic studies highlight the role of variations in the serotonin transporter...
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Sex Linked Disorders
Gene-Environment Interactions
Pharmacogenetic Phenotypes: Alterations in Pharmacokinetics, Drug Targets and Biologic Milieu