Well-Being and Mental Health of University Students: Understanding the Role of Genetics and Social Behaviours

There appears to be variability in the incidence of stress-induced mental health problems among young adults, whereas some readily succumb to the effects of stressors, others appear to be resilient. This resiliency may be attributed to the interaction of psychosocial and genetic factors. The goals of the present study were to examine the relationships between various social behaviours with depressive symptomatology and to assess whether these relationships were related to genotype of a neuropeptide Y (NPY) polymorphism, rs16147. Carleton University first-year undergraduates (N=126) of Euro-Caucasian descent completed questionnaires and provided saliva samples for genotyping. Relationships were found between social support, unsupport, social connectedness, feelings of loneliness, and psychological well-being with depressive symptoms, which were moderated by NPY genotype. These data suggest that the NPY polymorphism interacts with psychosocial adversity in predicting depressive symptoms in young adults, supporting the potential buffering effects of NPY in relation to stress-inducing outcomes.