Association of polygenic risk scores and hair cortisol with mental health trajectories during COVID lockdown

The COVID-19 pandemic presented a global stressor impacting mental health trajectories differently across individuals. This study investigated whether polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for psychiatric phenotypes and hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) were associated with varying mental health trajectories during Germany's first COVID lockdown. Using data from 523 participants in the Longitudinal Resilience Assessment study (LORA), three mental health subgroups were identified (acute dysfunction, delayed dysfunction, resilient). PRSs for 12 psychopathological phenotypes were calculated from baseline blood DNA (n=364), and HCC was determined from quarterly hair samples (n=192). Bivariate logistic regressions revealed a significant association between increased general psychiatric risk (from a bifactor model) and acute dysfunction. Elevated HCC was associated with acute dysfunction and a sub-factor representing childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorders. Genetic risk and long-term cortisol secretion predicted different mental health trajectories, suggesting potential for future risk prediction studies.

Kira F. Ahrens, Rebecca J. Neumann, Nina M. von Werthern, Thorsten M. Kranz, Bianca Kollmann, Björn Mattes, Lara M. C. Puhlmann, Danuta Weichert, Beat Lutz, Ulrike Basten, Christian J. Fiebach, Michèle Wessa, Raffael Kalisch, Klaus Lieb, Andreas G. Chiocchetti, Oliver Tüscher, Andreas Reif, Michael M. Plichta