ArticleNeurobiology of stress2022
Polygenic scores for empathy associate with posttraumatic stress severity in response to certain traumatic events.
Article in Neurobiology of stress, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Can ketamine and other glutamate receptor modulators be considered entactogens?Psychiatry research · 2025Pooled it
- Psychosocial Correlates of PTSD and Problem Drinking in Sexual Assault Survivors and Their Informal Supports.Journal of child sexual abuse · 2025Article
- Genetics and epigenetics of stress: New avenues for an old concept.Neurobiology of stress · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is triggered by environmental stressors. Empathy may predispose an individual to respond to life events differently if high empathizers are emotionally more sensitive to trauma. For the first time, we test this hypothesis using genetic information.
methodsWe applied polygenic scoring (PGS) to investigate the shared genetics linking empathy (measured using the Empathy Quotient (EQ), a self-report measure of empathy; N = 46,861) and PTSD symptom severity (measured using the 6-item PTSD Checklist 6-item (PCL-6)) in the UK Biobank (N = 126,219). Follow-up analyses were performed in the context of (1) experiencing any of 16 potential traumas, (2) the total number of traumas endorsed, and (3) the context of trauma. Autism, depression, generalized anxiety, and PCL-17 PGS were included as covariates to verify the specificity of the effect.
resultsEQ
conclusionsA genetic predisposition to higher empathy, which may index greater emotional sensitivity, predisposes an individual to more severe PTSD symptoms, especially after early-life adversity.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.