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Abstract
Though an association exists between sexual trauma and adolescent suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs), not all adolescents with a sexual assault history develop STBs. The present study examined whether carrier status of the DRD4 VNTR polymorphism (DRD4 L vs. DRD4S) moderated the relationship between sexual trauma and STBs in a sample of psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents. A total of 76 psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents provided saliva samples for genotyping procedures and completed assessment measures. Using hierarchical regression analyses, results indicated that DRD4 L carriers with a sexual trauma history reported significantly more severe suicidal ideation than DRD4S homozygotes. There was no interaction evident for the prediction of suicide attempts. To our knowledge, this is the first study to provide preliminary support for synergistic effects of sexual trauma, DRD4, and severity of SI in adolescents. Further studies of the relationship between sexual trauma, DRD4, and STBs utilizing larger samples are needed.
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Notes on contributors
James Doorley
James Doorley, Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA.
Caitlin Williams
Caitlin Williams, Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA.
Travis Mallard
Travis Mallard, Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA.
Christianne Esposito-Smythers
Christianne Esposito-Smythers, Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA.
John McGeary
John McGeary, Department of Psychiatry, Providence VA Medical Center and Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.