Polygenic Risk Factors for Psychological Resilience in Seasonal Tourism Communities and Insights from Epigenome-Wide Association Studies

Abstract

Seasonal tourism communities experience cyclical environmental, economic, and social stressors that influence individual and community-level psychological resilience. Resilience-the ability to cope with, recover from, and adapt to adversity—is shaped by both genetic and epigenetic factors. Polygenic risk scores (PRS) capture inherited contributions to resilience-related traits, while epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) identify environment-responsive epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation, histone changes, chromatin accessibility, and transcriptional biomarkers. Seasonal fluctuations in tourism, economic volatility, and climate variability intersect with these biological pathways, modulating stress response and recovery. Social-ecological mechanisms, such as social support, infrastructure adaptability, and community cohesion, further mediate resilience outcomes. Integrating polygenic and epigenetic insights with socio-environmental frameworks can inform interventions to enhance psychological resilience in populations exposed to periodic high-intensity environmental stressors.