Childhood Sexual Abuse and Impulsive Personality Traits: Mixed Evidence for Moderation by DRD4 Genotype

K Paige Harden; Marie D Carlson; Natalie Kretsch; William R Corbin; Kim Fromme

doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2014.12.005

Childhood Sexual Abuse and Impulsive Personality Traits: Mixed Evidence for Moderation by DRD4 Genotype

J Res Pers. 2015 Apr 1:55:30-40. doi: 10.1016/j.jrp.2014.12.005.

Authors

K Paige Harden¹, Marie D Carlson², Natalie Kretsch², William R Corbin³, Kim Fromme²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 ; Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712.
² Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712.
³ Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ 85287.

Abstract

This project examines associations between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and two dimensions of impulsivity (sensation seeking and premeditation), and tests whether CSA-personality associations are moderated by the DRD4 exon III VNTR polymorphism. Sample 1 is from a longitudinal study of university students measured at 10 waves over ages 18-24 years (n = 500). Sample 2 is from a national sample of young adult sibling pairs, ages 18-24, from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 2,559). In both samples, CSA was associated with elevated sensation seeking. In Sample 1, the association between CSA and sensation seeking was moderated by DRD4 genotype; this gene × environment interaction effect, however, was not replicated in Sample 2. Results suggest new avenues for research on CSA in the area of normal-range personality variation.

Keywords: DRD4; childhood sexual abuse; diathesis stress; differential susceptibility; gene-environment interaction; impulsivity; sensation seeking.

Abstract

Grants and funding