CD38 is associated with bonding-relevant cognitions and relationship satisfaction over the first 3\xa0years of marriage

Anastasia Makhanova,Lisa A Eckel,Larissa Nikonova,Jennifer A Bartz,Elizabeth A D Hammock,James K Mcnulty

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-82307-z

Anastasia Makhanova, Lisa A Eckel + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82307-z

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Abstract

Although there are numerous benefits to having a satisfying romantic relationship, maintaining high levels of relationship satisfaction is difficult. Many couples experience declines in relationship satisfaction in the early years of marriage, and such declines predict not only relationship dissolution but also poor mental and physical health. Several recent studies indicate that genetic variation on the CD38 gene (CD38), at the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs3796863, is associated with cognitions and behaviors related to pair bonding; we thus leveraged longitudinal data from a sample of newlywed couples (N = 139 genotyped individuals; 71 couples) to examine whether rs3796863 is associated with relationship maintenance processes and, in turn, relationship satisfaction in the early years of marriage. Replicating and extending prior research, we found that individuals with the CC genotype (vs. AC/AA) of rs3796863 reported higher levels of gratitude, trust, and forgiveness and that trust mediated the association between rs3796863 and marital satisfaction. Moreover, the benefits conferred to CC individuals lasted over the first 3 years of marriage. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the link between variation in CD38 rs3796863 and marital functioning over time.

Highlights

There are numerous benefits to having a satisfying romantic relationship, maintaining high levels of relationship satisfaction is difficult
We focused on one genetic source of individual differences—individual variation on the CD38 gene (CD38), a gene that has been linked to social cognition and behavior in r odents[17], and to positive outcomes in human romantic r elationships[18,19]
Do relationship maintenance processes mediate the effects of rs3796863 on satisfac‐ tion? we examined whether the association that emerged between rs3796863 and marital satisfaction did so through its effects on the specific relationship maintenance processes

Summary

Introduction

There are numerous benefits to having a satisfying romantic relationship, maintaining high levels of relationship satisfaction is difficult. Several recent studies indicate that genetic variation on the CD38 gene (CD38), at the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs3796863, is associated with cognitions and behaviors related to pair bonding; we leveraged longitudinal data from a sample of newlywed couples (N = 139 genotyped individuals; 71 couples) to examine whether rs3796863 is associated with relationship maintenance processes and, in turn, relationship satisfaction in the early years of marriage. Variations in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR), such as on the polymorphism rs53576, are linked to supportive communication with one’s romantic p artner[39], and marital satisfaction in a sample of adults over 5 040 Notwithstanding these two studies, recent meta-analyses disagree on whether rs53576 is linked to human sociality g enerally[41,42,43], with evidence for a link between OXTR variation and bonding within close relationships being inconsistent[43]

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