The risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following trauma is heritable, but robust common variants have yet to be identified. In a multi-ethnic cohort including over 30,000 PTSD cases and 170,000 controls we conduct a genome-wide association study of PTSD. We demonstrate SNP-based heritability estimates of 5–20%, varying by sex. Three genome-wide significant loci are identified, 2 in European and 1 in African-ancestry analyses. Analyses stratified by sex implicate 3 additional loci in men. Along with other novel genes and non-coding RNAs, a Parkinson’s disease gene involved in dopamine regulation, PARK2, is associated with PTSD. Finally, we demonstrate that polygenic risk for PTSD is significantly predictive of re-experiencing symptoms in the Million Veteran Program dataset, although specific loci did not replicate. These results demonstrate the role of genetic variation in the biology of risk for PTSD and highlight the necessity of conducting sex-stratified analyses and expanding GWAS beyond European ancestry populations.

Emotion regulation (ER) has been identified as a critical factor in the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS; Bardeen, Kumpula, & Orcutt, 2013 [Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 27, 188-196]; Marx & Sloan, 2005 [Behaviour Research and Therapy, 43, 569-583]; Nightingale & Williams, 2000 [British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 39, 243-254]). The current meta-analysis aimed to provide a thorough, quantitative examination of the associations between PTS and several aspects of ER. A search of the PsychINFO database resulted in 2557 titles, of which 57 met full inclusion criteria (the cross-sectional association between PTS symptoms and ER was reported, participants were 18 years or older, the article was written in English, and sufficient information was reported to calculate effect sizes). From the 57 studies that were included, 74 effect sizes were obtained. All studies were independently coded by two of the study authors for the following: citation, sample type, total N size (and group n's if applicable), mean age of participants, type of traumatic event, study design, PTS measure(s), ER measure(s), and effect size information. Eight random effects models were conducted: seven for individual ER strategies (e.g., rumination) and one for general emotion dysregulation. The largest effects were observed for general emotion dysregulation (r = 0.53; k = 13), rumination (r = 0.51; k = 5), thought suppression (r = 0.47; k = 13), and experiential avoidance (r = 0.40; k = 20). Medium effects were observed for expressive suppression (r = 0.29; k = 3) and worry (r = 0.28; k = 6). Significant effects were not observed for acceptance or reappraisal. Moderator analyses (sample and trauma type) were conducted for general emotion dysregulation, experiential avoidance, and thought suppression; no significant differences were observed. Findings from the current analysis suggest that several aspects of ER are associated with PTS symptoms across a variety of samples. Additionally, the current study highlights a number of limitations in the existing ER and PTS symptom literature.

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