Parental care interacts with dopamine β-hydroxylase gene in trait of forgiveness with differential susceptibility effect

Abstract

ABSTRACT Forgiveness, an emotion regulation strategy for overcoming personal distress and healing injuries following interpersonal conflicts, is greatly modulated by parental bonding (e.g. parental care and overprotection) and genetic predispositions. Inspired by the roles of dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH) gene in empathy and emotion regulation, we examined how parental bonding interacted with the DBH-1021C/T (i.e. a polymorphism accounts for 35–52% of variance in DBH activity) in forgiveness. Results indicated that (1) the score on forgiveness was positively related to parental care, but negatively related to parental overprotection; (2) parental care significantly interacted with the DBH-1021C/T in forgiveness with differential susceptibility model. The TT/CT genotypes were related to lower forgiveness than the CC genotype among individuals with lower parental care, butwere related to higher forgiveness among individuals with optimal parental care. These findings provide a new insight into the gene–environment interaction in the development of forgiveness.