Background: Polygenic scores (PGS) for mood disorders provide population-level measures of genetic liability, allowing examination of how common mental health-related traits associate with socio-economic outcomes. This study investigated how PGS for depression (DPGS), bipolar disorder (BDPGS) and overall mood disorders (MDPGS) predict economic outcomes in the general population.
Methods: We studied genetic and socio-economic registry data alongside repeated cross-sectional surveys from six Finnish cohorts (1992–2017; N = 20,121; ages 25–64), representative of various regions. Using multiple regression models, we examined associations between PGS and educational attainment, employment status, occupational type, equivalent income and economic satisfaction.
Results: All PGS were negatively associated with employment probability, although their associations with other economic outcomes varied depending on educational attainment as a mediating factor. BDPGS was positively associated with higher educational attainment and engagement in knowledge work, particularly among females. However, BDPGS showed no significant associations with equivalent income or economic satisfaction. In contrast, DPGS was negatively associated with educational attainment and demonstrated negative associations with knowledge work, equivalent income and economic satisfaction. MDPGS, consolidating depression and bipolar disorder (BD) risks, showed no significant association with educational attainment but was negatively associated with equivalent income and economic satisfaction. Additionally, DPGS and MDPGS were linked to a lower likelihood of self-employment among males.
Conclusions: The genetic predispositions for depression and BD exhibit distinct and sometimes opposing relationships with economic outcomes, mediated by education. Although effect sizes were substantial, genetic risks could still be mitigated by environmental factors, such as education and institutional frameworks, that foster economic resilience. The lack of association between MDPGS and educational level highlights the offsetting effects of its components, suggesting that focusing on specific mental disorders rather than generalisations offers clearer insights into the genetic underpinnings of brain health-related economic disparities in the general population.