Experiencing trauma or having certain genetic variants can both put you at risk of depression. But nature and nurture can also interact: traumatic events appear to amplify the effect of genetic risk factors, according to research involving 73,000 people.

People who have depression tend to have a similar level of genetic risk for the condition , regardless of their environment or experiences. But traumatic experiences appear to somehow amplify the impact of these genes, says Gerome Breen at King’s College London, who led the study. …