Genetic differential susceptibility to the parent-child relationship quality and the life span development of compassion.

Henrik Dobewall,Igor Zwir,Aino Saarinen,Mirka Hintsanen,Robert Cloninger,Olli T Raitakari,Leo‐Pekka Lyytikäinen,Liisa Keltikangas‐Järvinen,Terho Lehtimäki

doi:10.1002/dev.22184

Abstract

The development of compassion for others might be influenced by the social experiences made during childhood and has a genetic component. No research has yet investigated whether the parent-child relationship quality interacts with genetic variation in the oxytocin and dopamine systems in predicting compassion over the life span. In the prospective Young Finns Study (N = 2099, 43.9% men), we examined the interaction between mother-reported emotional warmth and intolerance toward their child assessed in 1980 (age of participants, 3-18 years) and two established genetic risk scores for oxytocin levels and dopamine signaling activity. Dispositional compassion for others was measured with the Temperament and Character Inventory 1997, 2001, and 2012 (age of participants, 20-50 years). We found a gene-environment interaction (p = .031) that remained marginally significant after adjustment for multiple testing. In line with the differential susceptibility hypothesis, only participants who carry alleles associated with low dopamine signaling activity had higher levels of compassion when growing up with emotionally warm parents, whereas they had lower levels of compassion when their parents were emotionally cold. Children's genetic variability in the dopamine system might result in plasticity to early environmental influences that have a long-lasting effect on the development of compassion. However, our findings need replication.

Highlights

Compassion can be defined as a disposition that is characterized by a feeling evoked by witnessing the unjust suffering of another person and the authentic desire to help (Goetz et al, 2010; Lazarus, 1991)
Of the two parent–child relationship quality scales, emotional warmth (b = .029 [.001, .057]; p = .043 / q = .063) was associated with the development of compassion like we have previously reported in Young Finns Study (YFS) data (Hintsanen et al, 2019)
We found a gene–environment interaction in the life span development of compassion indicating that only participants who carry alleles associated with low dopamine signaling activity were affected by normal variation in parental emotional warmth during childhood

Summary

Introduction

Compassion can be defined as a disposition that is characterized by a feeling evoked by witnessing the unjust suffering of another person and the authentic desire to help (Goetz et al, 2010; Lazarus, 1991). Trait-like compassion for others transcends situations (unlike more variable compassionate states and emotions) and plays an important role in fostering interpersonal trust and cooperation (Allred et al, 1997; Liu & Wang, 2010) and directing prosocial behavior (Goetz et al, 2010). Compassion-related phenotypes have declined from one birth cohort to the in the United States and across wide parts of Europe (Dobewall et al, 2017; Zarins & Korath, 2017). This is alarming because compassion facilitates cooperation beyond the family and addresses a society’s need to protect the weak (Goetz et al, 2010)

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Discussion

Conclusion