Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42449378›Full record

SynthesisClinical epigenetics2026

Epigenome-wide association study meta-analysis of wellbeing.

Meike Bartels, Margot P van de Weijer, Natalia Azcona-Granada, Bart M L Baselmans, Matthew Suderman, Mette Soerensen, Jadwiga Buchwald, Rosa H Mulder, Rajesh Rawal, Michelle Luciano and 25 more

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Clinical epigenetics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

35 authors.

Meike BartelsDepartment of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van Der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Margot P van de WeijerDepartment of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van Der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Natalia Azcona-GranadaDepartment of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van Der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Bart M L BaselmansDepartment of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van Der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Matthew SudermanMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Bristol Medical School, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Mette SoerensenThe Danish Twin Registry and the Research Unit for Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Jadwiga BuchwaldInstitute for Molecular Medicine Finland FIMM, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Rosa H MulderThe Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Rajesh RawalDepartment of Microbiology, Laboratoire National de Santé, Dudelange, Luxembourg.
Michelle LucianoDepartment of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Marc Jan BonderDepartment of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Priyanka ChoudharyResearch Unit of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Estelle LowryQueen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
Penelope A LindPsychiatric Genetics, Brain and Mental Health Research Program, QIMR Berghofer, Brisbane, Australia.
Joel SchwartzDepartment of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA.
Birgit DebrabantData Science and Statistics, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Miina OllikainenInstitute for Molecular Medicine Finland FIMM, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Janine F FelixThe Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Marian J Bakermans-KranenburgWilliam James Center for Research, ISPA Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, Portugal.
Henning TiemeierDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Christian GiegerResearch Unit Molecular Epidemiology, Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.
Melanie WaldenbergerResearch Unit Molecular Epidemiology, Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.
Nicholas G MartinGenetic Epidemiology, Brain and Mental Health Research Program, QIMR Berghofer, Brisbane, Australia.
Pantel VokonasVeterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Boston, USA.
Andrea A BaccarelliHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA.
Kaare ChristensenThe Danish Twin Registry and the Research Unit for Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Jaakko KaprioInstitute for Molecular Medicine Finland FIMM, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Marinus H van IJzendoornFaculty of Psychology and Humanities, Universidad San Sebastián, Valdivia, Chile.
Rebecca T EmenyDepartment of Internal Medicine, Division of Molecular Medicine, UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cancer Control & Population Sciences Research Program, Albuquerque, USA.
Ian J DearyLothian Birth Cohorts, Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Lude FrankeDepartment of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Sylvain SebertResearch Unit of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Allan F McRaeInstitute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Avron SpiroVeterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Boston, USA.
Jenny van DongenDepartment of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van Der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. j.van.dongen@vu.nl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2063-8741

Funding

The European Research Council (ERC-COG WELL-BEING) 771057
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Wellbeing is associated with both behavioral phenotypes as well as several key life outcomes, such as health, employment, and coping with stressful events. These phenotypes associated with wellbeing could be potential indicators of differential epigenetic patterns between individuals that differ in their levels of wellbeing. We performed the largest epigenome-wide (EWAS) meta-analysis of wellbeing to date by combining whole blood DNA methylation data (Illumina 450K array) from 13 cohorts from Europe, Australia, and the USA (N = 10,757 participants). After correcting for smoking and BMI, no epigenome-wide significant methylation sites were identified. We tested whether a weighted methylation score (MS) based on leave-one-cohort-out EWAS meta-analysis summary statistics predicted wellbeing in an independent cohort, and whether prediction was significant over and above the polygenic score (PGS) for wellbeing. The MS was associated with wellbeing (variance explained = 0.22%, p = 0.03) and was no longer significant after adding the polygenic score (PGS; variance explained = 0.43%, p = 0.0046, MS; variance explained = 0.07%, p = 0.2842). We further compared DNA methylation levels in 16 pairs of monozygotic twins discordant for wellbeing. These analyses revealed no significant within-pair DNA methylation differences at the top-sites from the meta-analysis or in MS. Our results suggest that larger EWAS meta-analyses with uniform phenotype assessment are required to identify methylation sites associated with wellbeing.

Indexed as

DNA MethylationEpigenomeEpigenomicsGenome-Wide Association StudyAdultAustraliaCohort StudiesEpigenesis, GeneticEuropeFemaleGenetic Risk ScoreHumansMalePhenotypePsychological Well-BeingTwins, Monozygotic

Identifiers

PMID42449378
PMCPMC13647890

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.