An epigenetic candidate–gene association study of parental styles in suicide attempters with substance use disorders
Abstract
Suicide attempts (SA) are prevalent in substance use disorders (SUD). Epigenetic mechanisms may play a pivotal role in the molecular mechanisms of environmental effects eliciting suicidal behaviour in this population. Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA), oxytocin and neurotrophin pathways have been consistently involved in SA, yet , their interplay with childhood adversity remains unclear, particularly in SUD. In 24 outpatients with SUDs, we examined the relation between three parental dysfunctional styles and history of SA with methylation of 32 genes from these pathways, eventually analysing 823 methylation sites. Extensive phenotypic characterization was obtained using a semi‐structured interview. Parental style was patient‐reported using the Measure of Parental Style (MOPS) questionnaire, analysed with and without imputation of missing items. Linear regressions were performed to adjust for possible confounders, followed by multiple testing correction. We describe both differentially methylated probes (DMPs) and regions (DMRs) for each set of analyses (with and without imputation of MOPS items). Without imputation, five DMRs in OXTR , CRH and NTF3 significantly interacted with MOPS father abuse to increase the risk for lifetime SA, thus covering the three pathways. After imputation of missing MOPS items, two other DMPs from FKBP5 and SOCS3 significantly interacted with each of the three father styles to increase the risk for SA. Although our findings must be interpreted with caution due to small sample size, they suggest implications of stress reactivity genes in the suicidal risk of SUD patients and highlight the significance of father dysfunction as a potential marker of childhood adversity in SUD patients.
Related
- SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes in metabolic disorders: integrating tissue-specific epigenetic mechanisms.
- Multi-Omic Integration of the miRNome and Transcriptome in Dermal Fibroblasts from Hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders Identifies Convergent Candidate miRNA-mRNA Regulatory Networks Linking Extracellular Matrix Remodeling and Inflammation
- Integrated genome-wide DNA methylation and transcriptomic analysis prioritizes EPHA5 as a candidate non-invasive epigenetic biomarker for oral squamous cell carcinoma
- Integrating QTL Mapping and Candidate-Region Association to Investigate Kernel Size and Weight in Sweet Corn
- Single-nucleus transcriptome-wide association study of human brain disorders
BibTeX
@article{chretienneau2026epigenetic,
title = {{An epigenetic candidate–gene association study of parental styles in suicide attempters with substance use disorders}},
author = {Clara Chrétienneau and Leticia Spindola and Florence Vorspan and Trine Vik Lagerberg and Cynthia Marie-Claire and Frank Bellivier and Stéphane Mouly and Jean-Louis Laplanche and Vanessa Bloch and Stéphanie Le Hellard and Romain Icick},
journal = {Addiction Biology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1111/adb.13392},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-04778498v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - An epigenetic candidate–gene association study of parental styles in suicide attempters with substance use disorders
AU - Clara Chrétienneau
AU - Leticia Spindola
AU - Florence Vorspan
AU - Trine Vik Lagerberg
AU - Cynthia Marie-Claire
AU - Frank Bellivier
AU - Stéphane Mouly
AU - Jean-Louis Laplanche
AU - Vanessa Bloch
AU - Stéphanie Le Hellard
AU - Romain Icick
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
JO - Addiction Biology
DO - 10.1111/adb.13392
UR - https://hal.science/hal-04778498v1
AB - Suicide attempts (SA) are prevalent in substance use disorders (SUD). Epigenetic mechanisms may play a pivotal role in the molecular mechanisms of environmental effects eliciting suicidal behaviour in this population. Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA), oxytocin and neurotrophin pathways have been consistently involved in SA, yet , their interplay with childhood adversity remains unclear, particularly in SUD. In 24 outpatients with SUDs, we examined the relation between three parental dysfunctional styles and history of SA with methylation of 32 genes from these pathways, eventually analysing 823 methylation sites. Extensive phenotypic characterization was obtained using a semi‐structured interview. Parental style was patient‐reported using the Measure of Parental Style (MOPS) questionnaire, analysed with and without imputation of missing items. Linear regressions were performed to adjust for possible confounders, followed by multiple testing correction. We describe both differentially methylated probes (DMPs) and regions (DMRs) for each set of analyses (with and without imputation of MOPS items). Without imputation, five DMRs in OXTR , CRH and NTF3 significantly interacted with MOPS father abuse to increase the risk for lifetime SA, thus covering the three pathways. After imputation of missing MOPS items, two other DMPs from FKBP5 and SOCS3 significantly interacted with each of the three father styles to increase the risk for SA. Although our findings must be interpreted with caution due to small sample size, they suggest implications of stress reactivity genes in the suicidal risk of SUD patients and highlight the significance of father dysfunction as a potential marker of childhood adversity in SUD patients.
SN - 1355-6215
SN - 1369-1600
ER -