Studying individual risk factors for self-harm in the UK Biobank: A polygenic scoring and Mendelian randomisation study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Identifying causal risk factors for self-harm is essential to inform preventive interventions. Epidemiological studies have identified risk factors associated with self-harm, but these associations can be subject to confounding. By implementing genetically informed methods to better account for confounding, this study aimed to better identify plausible causal risk factors for self-harm.

Methods and findings

Using summary statistics from 24 genome-wide association studies (GWASs) comprising 16,067 to 322,154 individuals, polygenic scores (PSs) were generated to index 24 possible individual risk factors for self-harm (i.e., mental health vulnerabilities, substance use, cognitive traits, personality traits, and physical traits) among a subset of UK Biobank participan

SUBMITTER: Lim KX 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7263593 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature