Interaction between polygenic liability for schizophrenia and childhood adversity influences daily-life emotional dysregulation and psychosis proneness

Background The earliest stages of the pluripotent psychopathology on the pathway to psychotic disorders is represented by emotional dysregulation and subtle psychosis expression, which can be measured using the Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). However, it is not clear to what degree common genetic and environmental risk factors for psychosis contribute to variation in these early expressions of psychopathology. Methods In this largest ever EMA study of a general population twin cohort including 593 adolescents and young adults between the ages of 15 and 35 years, we tested whether polygenic risk score for schizophrenia (PRS-S) interacts with childhood adversity (the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire score) and daily-life stressors to influence momentary mental state domains (negative affect, positive affect, and subtle psychosis expression) and stress-sensitivity measures. Results Both childhood adversity and daily-life stressors were associated with increased negative affect, decreased positive affect, and increased subtle psychosis expression, while PRS-S was only associated with increased positive affect. No gene–environment correlation was detected. We have provided novel evidence for interaction effects between PRS-S and childhood adversity to influence momentary mental states [negative affect (b = 0.07, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.13, P = 0.013), positive affect (b = −0.05, 95% CI −0.10 to −0.00, P = 0.043), and subtle psychosis expression (b = 0.11, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.19, P = 0.007)] and stress-sensitivity measures. Conclusion Exposure to childhood adversities, particularly in individuals with high PRS-S, is pleiotropically associated with emotional dysregulation and psychosis proneness.