Depression Lower in Older Adults With Partner, Large Social Network, and Low Polygenic Risk Score

A study in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry found that a high polygenic risk score for depression, being single, and having a small social network are associated with a high risk of depression in older adults, reports Psychiatry Advisor . The researchers looked at 2,279 people 55 or older in a Dutch study. Participants with higher polygenic risk scores for depression exhibited higher depressive symptoms. Factors associated with less depressive symptoms included having a partner and a larger social network size, and no linkage was observed between depressive symptoms, received emotional support, and given emotional support. Moreover, the researchers saw no gene-environment interaction between polygenic risk scores for depression and partner status, received emotional support, or given emotional support. They suggested that "such interventions should be encouraged in the general population of older adults regardless of the genetic liability for depression."