Risk factors for suicide attempt: A population-based -genetic study from Telangana, India

Suicide attempt is a significant risk factor for suicide, as approximately 10% of the suicide attempters succumb to suicide within one year of their last attempt. The present study aims to investigate the association of psychological variables, environmental stressors and genetic risk factors with suicide attempt. In the present study 258 individuals;129 suicide attempters (cases) and 129 individuals (controls) from general population matched for age, gender, ethnicity and neighborhood and without family or self-history of suicidal behaviour were recruited. The personal information and sociodemographic data were collected using interview schedules. Psychological variables; somatoform disorder, anxiety, depression and hopelessness and environmental stressors; childhood trauma and stressful life events were measured using standard tools. Blood samples were collected for the genotypic analysis of 5HTTLPR and Stin (2) VNTR gene polymorphisms. Binary logistic models using SPSS ver. 20 were used to compute allelic or genetic risk and gene-environment interactions. The haplotypic analysis was computed using SHESIS online tool. In the present study, psychological variables such as stressful life events, anxiety and hopelessness were found to be significantly associated with increased risk for suicide attempt. The haplotypic analysis illustrated higher frequency of s10 haplotype among suicide attempters as compared to that of controls. Further, Gene-Environment interaction between the mutant allele of selected loci of serotonin gene and stressful life events was observed.