The identification of psychosocial factors associated with resistance to severe trauma can inform future studies of preventive and treatment interventions for high-risk populations. Further study is needed to determine which psychosocial factors are consistently associated with resilience and to what extent they can be modified through clinical intervention.

While several studies have found high rates of trauma exposure there is limited information on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its relationship to depression in the African American population. The prevalence and/or expression of psychiatric disorders can differ between racial/ethnic groups. The authors review literature addressing trauma exposure, prevalence, and expression of PTSD in the African American population. Risk factors that may be of specific significance to the development of PTSD in African Americans are also reviewed. Additionally, treatment issues and potential directions for future research of PTSD in the African American population are discussed.

In healthy people, alpha2CDel322-325 polymorphism is associated with increased sympathetic nervous and adrenomedullary hormonal activities, both during supine rest and during pharmacologically evoked catecholamine release. Polymorphisms of the alpha2C-adrenoreceptor may help explain individual differences in predisposition to a variety of disorders of catecholaminergic function, such as cardiovascular disorders, depression or anxiety disorders.

Background Genetic polymorphisms that influence serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5HT) neurotransmission are candidates for contributing to susceptibility to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The objective of our study was to determine if a variable length polymorphism for the promoter regions of the 5HT transporter (5HTTLPR), and/or a substitution polymorphism in the promoter region for the 5HT2A receptor, would be associated with PTSD in a trauma exposed population of adult African-Americans. Methods Using a case control design, 118 participants recruited from the primary care clinics and the campus of a historically black university who met inclusion criteria including trauma exposure provided blood samples for genomic DNA. PTSD criteria were determined by the Clinician Assessment of PTSD Scale (CAPS) and criteria for other psychiatric disorders by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). 5HTTLPR and 5HT2A-1438A/G were genotyped using established methods. Associations of genotypes with lifetime PTSD, and models testing associations of allele “dose”, were analyzed. Results Fifty-five (47%) participants met lifetime criteria for PTSD and 26 (22%) met criteria for (mostly comorbid) major depression. The 5HT2A (lower expressing) G allele was significantly associated with PTSD. We did not find significant associations with 5HTTLPR. Conclusions Our findings suggest a relationship between genetic variation in the 5HT2A promoter region and PTSD.†

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