Suderman et al (2014)

• Suderman et al 2014 investigated whether childhood abuse is associated with methylation in adulthood, specifically methylation of the PM20D1 gene which is responsible for the metabolism of amino acids and is associated with control over eating habits.
• Suderman et al 2014

  Participants - 12 adults who experienced abuse and 28 who hadn't. All were 45 year old males on opposing extreme ends of the socioeconomic position (SEP)
• Suderman et al 2014

  Procedure - Participants answered a confidential questionnaire to identify whether they had been abused in their youth. They then analyzed the methylation profiles of 20000 genes through DNA immunoprecipitation.
• Suderman et al 2014

  Results - The PM20D1 genes of participants that suffered abuse were hypermethylated compared to participants who didn't suffer abuse. Because the gene plays a role in eating habits, those with childhood abuse had a greater prevalence of obesity due to irregular food intake.
• Suderman et al 2014

  Conclusion - Because the methylation of PM20D1 increased in traumatized individuals, this suggests that environmental triggers like abuse can contribute to switching off a gene, which can predispose someone to behave in a certain way. Gene expression can be affected by traumatic environmental events (like in Weaver et al 2004)
• Suderman et al 2014 was good because there was high ecological validity, and use of purposive sampling to collect participants from both ends of the socioeconomic position increased generalizability
• Suderman et al 2014 was limited because the study relied on self-report methods of abuse, which could lead to recall bias, like under or overreporting of childhood abuse. Forcing participants to recall childhood abuse may raise emotional ethical concerns and cause anxiety. The study is cross-sectional which limits ability to draw causal conclusions about childhood abuse and methylation. Also gender bias