Project description
Genes, environment and resilience to stress
Early life stress (ELS) affects over 60 % of people globally and is linked to lasting psychosocial challenges, yet many individuals adapt and thrive. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the GENRES project investigates how genetic and environmental factors shape resilient outcomes after ELS. Drawing on data from four population cohorts, it aims to map developmental pathways from childhood to adulthood that foster emotional, behavioural and cognitive well-being. The project will examine the role of polygenic risk, environmental context, sex and temperament in shaping resilient trajectories over time. By understanding protective and promotive factors for resilience, GENRES aims to inform public health strategies and reduce stigma by shifting the focus from individual responsibility to broader systemic support.
Objective
Early life stress (ELS), ranging from prenatal to postnatal challenges such as household dysfunction and child maltreatment, often co-occurs and affects over 60% of individuals worldwide, leading to adverse outcomes like psychosocial difficulties. However, individual responses to ELS vary, with some exhibiting remarkable resilience, such as maintaining high functioning or gradually improving. The GENRES project aims to uncover how genetic and environmental factors interact to foster resilience in individuals exposed to ELS. Using data from four large-scale population-based cohorts, GENRES will identify resilient developmental trajectories from childhood to adolescence and adulthood across emotional, behavioural, and cognitive functions. The project will analyse polygenic profiles (based on multiple polygenic scores) and environmental profiles (derived from multi-systemic family and social factors) that contribute to resilient trajectories (e.g. recovering or competent). Differential susceptibility effects will be tested, focusing on how sex, genetic predisposition, and temperament interact to influence individuals respond differently to environments, both negative and positive. The findings from each cohort will be integrated through meta-analysis, offering a comprehensive understanding of resilience to ELS across diverse populations and contexts. By bridging genetic and psychosocial research, the project will also contribute to a broader understanding of resilience, reducing stigma and shifting the focus from individual blame to systemic support. The outcomes of GENRES will inform public health strategies and interventions tailored to individual genetic profiles and resilience-promoting environments. Executing this project at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics will enhance my interdisciplinary expertise and support the development of innovative approaches to study resilience, thereby improving health and well-being for those exposed to ELS.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences health sciences public health
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology cognitive neuroscience
- social sciences psychology psycholinguistics
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
80539 MUNCHEN
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.