Associations Between Personality Traits, Perceived Stress and Depressive Symptoms in Gynecological Cancer Patients Characterized by the Short and Long Allele Variant of the 5-HTTLPR Genotype: Preliminary Results

OBJECTIVE: The study explored associations between personality traits, perceived stress and symptoms of depression in oncological patients characterized by the two variants of the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) polymorphisms. METHOD: The sample was composed of 41 gynecological cancer patients who completed self-reported questionnaires including the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, the dimension of depression-dejection (D/D) of the Profile of Moods State and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The polymerase chain reaction was also employed to identify genotypes in the serotonin (5HTT) polymorphism. RESULTS: The one-way ANOVA test, across the 5-HTTLPR genotype groups, showed significant effects of the short variants on neuroticism (p=0.009) and of the long variant on agreeableness (p=0.022), as well as a tendency to a statistical significance of the l/l variant on consciousness (p=0.074). Bivariate correlations showed positive correlations of neuroticism with both psychopathological symptoms (D/D r=0.522; PSS r=0.586) in the combined group S, negative association of agreeableness with depression (D/D r=-0.613) and of consciousness with depression (D/D r=-0.750) and perceived stress (PSS r=-0.702) in the group of the long variant of 5-HT-TLPR genotype. CONCLUSIONS: Personalized medicine should consider the interaction between genotype and phenotype in reducing levels of clinical psychological distress, highlighting how psychotherapeutic processes should improve patients' quality of life.