Chunk #62 — Methods/Design — Primary analysis 1: analysis of the impact of 5-HTTLPR variation in young adults — Arm B: stressful life events (including childhood maltreatment)
The second arm will take a broader measure of stress, incorporating both stressful life events and maltreatment history. Because stressful life events other than childhood maltreatment were deemed as less likely to have a lifelong impact, for this analysis, only life stressors occurring within 5 years of the outcome measure will be used. Furthermore, in order to elucidate the issue of causation in the event that an association is observed, only data in which the relative timing of exposure to stressful life events and depression outcome is known will be used. Individuals with a history of depression prior to stress exposure will be excluded from these analyses.
