Lack of association between the 5-HTTLPR and positive screening for mental disorders among children exposed to urban violence and maltreatment

Objective: To ascertain whether genetic variations in the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR 44-bp insertion/deletion polymorphism) influence an increase in depressive and anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents exposed to high levels of violence. Methods: Saliva samples were collected from a group of children who were working on the streets and from their siblings who did not work on the streets. DNA was extracted from the saliva samples and analyzed for 5-HTTLPR polymorphism genotypes. Results: One hundred and seventy-seven children between the ages of 7 and 14 years were analyzed (114 child workers and 63 siblings). Data on socioeconomic conditions, mental symptoms, and presence and severity of maltreatment and urban violence were collected using a sociodemographic inventory and clinical instruments. There was no positive correlation between the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and presence of mental symptoms in our sample, although the children were exposed to high levels of abuse, neglect, and urban violence. Conclusions: Despite previous studies that associated adult psychiatric disorders with the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and a history of childhood maltreatment, no such association was found in this sample of children at risk.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Department of PsychiatryOcular Genetic InstituteCollege of Public Health, USPUniversidade de São Paulo (USP) Institute of Mathematics and StatisticsKing's College London Institute of Psychiatry Health Service and Population Research DepartmentUNIFESP, Department of PsychiatrySciEL