Polygenic risk for schizophrenia and subjective well-being in a general population sample

Previous evidence has reported associations of a polygenic risk score for schizophrenia (PRS_SCZ) with negative developmental outcomes, such as psychiatric symptoms, adverse health behaviors, and reduced everyday functioning. We now investigated the relationship of PRS_SCZ with subjectively experienced well-being.

Participants (n = 1866) came from the prospective population-based Young Finns Study (YFS). Subjective well-being in adulthood was assessed in terms of life satisfaction, optimism, and self-acceptance (when participants were 20-50 years old). A PRS_SCZ was calculated based on the most recent genome-wide association study on schizophrenia. Covariates included age, sex, early family environment, adulthood socioeconomic factors, and adulthood health behaviors.

The PRS_SCZ did not predict any domain of subjective well-being, including life satisfaction, optimism, and self-acceptance. After adding covariates in a stepwise manner or including/excluding participants with diagnosed non-affective psychotic disorders, all the associations remained non-significant. Age- and sex-interaction analyses showed that PRS_SCZ was not associated with subjective well-being in either sex or in any age between 20 and 50 years.

While high PRS_SCZ has been linked to multiple adversities in previous studies, we did not find any association between high PRS_SCZ and subjective measures of life satisfaction, optimism, and self-acceptance.