本研究运用问卷法与DNA分型技术,对1063名青少年(初次测评年龄为12.32±0.47岁,50.3%女生)进行间隔2年的追踪调查,考察DRD2基因TaqIA多态性与同伴身体侵害和关系侵害对青少年早期抑郁的交互作用及其性别差异。结果发现,TaqIA多态性与身体侵害、关系侵害均对男青少年抑郁存在显著的交互作用。在携带A2A2基因型的男生中,身体侵害和关系侵害可以显著正向预测其抑郁水平,而在携带A1等位基因的男生中,同伴侵害对抑郁无预测作用。此外,TaqIA多态性与身体侵害、关系侵害对女生抑郁均无显著交互作用。研究结果提示,同伴侵害是一种重要的候选环境指标,与TaqIA多态性交互影响青少年早期抑郁,并且性别在这一基因×环境交互作用中起到重要的调节效应。
The majority of studies on the gene by environment interaction have focused on family factors and stressful life events as environments, while research including peer contexts as environmental factors is rare. However, whether and how peer environments interact with gene on adolescent depression are less well understood, especially during early adolescence, a crucial period for examining the role of peer experiences in psychosocial adjustment. Peer victimization experience may result in negative self-evaluations, and in turn lead to anxiety and depression. However, the genetic makeup involved in the dopaminergic pathway could determine the degree to which a person is influenced by the peer environment. In this study, one of the most widely studied functional polymorphism(Taq IA) in the dopamine receptor D2(DRD2) gene was used to test whether DRD2 gene moderates the effect of peer victimization on depression. Despite the extensive evidence supporting DRD 2 by environment interaction on depression, the actual patterns of gender differences observed are inconsistent across studies. It also remains unknown whether gender moderates the way that Taq IA polymorphism interacts with peer environments. One thousand and sixty three adolescents of grade 6(mean age 12.32 ± 0.49 years old at the first time point) from 40 classes of 14 primary schools in Jinan were assessed twice with an interval of two years. During each assessment, the participants completed self-reported questionnaires on experience of peer victimization and on depressive symptoms. All measures showed good reliability. DNA was extracted from saliva. Genotyping at Taq IA polymorphism in the DRD2 gene was performed for each participant in real time with M ass ARRAY RT software version 3.0.0.4 and analyzed using the Mass ARRAY Typer software version 3.4(Sequenom). To examine whether Taq IA polymorphism moderates the effects of peer victimizations on adolescent depressive symptoms and whether this potential moderating effect differs between boys