Patients with a history of sexual trauma have up to 17.65 times higher odds of being diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to a recent study.

The study investigates the associations between sexual trauma, polygenic risk scores, and mental health diagnoses, utilizing data from 96,002 patients across two prominent U.S. medical centers. The objective was to elucidate the independent and joint contributions of these factors to the risk of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (BD), and major depressive disorder (MDD).

The study's findings, published in JAMA Psychiatry, indicate that patients with a history of sexual trauma exhibit significantly elevated odds of receiving diagnoses of schizophrenia, BD, and MDD. Specifically, the odds ratio for schizophrenia reached 17.65 (95% confidence interval [CI], 12.77-24.40) in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center cohort, and 8.83 (95% CI, 5.50-14.18) in the African ancestry cohort. The combination of sexual trauma and polygenic scores accounted for 3.8% to 8.8% of the variance in mental health outcomes.

Furthermore, the analysis demonstrated that the association of polygenic scores with these diagnoses was attenuated among patients disclosing sexual trauma. This suggests that the genetic predisposition to these conditions may be less impactful when environmental factors, such as trauma, are present.

These findings highlight the importance of considering environmental risk factors in the context of mental health diagnoses. The study advocates for improved screening practices for sexual trauma in clinical settings to facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the interplay between genetic and environmental influences in mental health.

Full disclosures can be found in the published study.