Recalled Parental Bonding Interacts with Oxytocin Receptor Gene Polymorphism in Modulating Anxiety and Avoidance in Adult Relationships.

Ilaria Cataldo,Bruno Lepri,Jia Nee Foo,Peipei Setoh,Andrea Bonassi,Gianluca Esposito

doi:10.3390/brainsci11040496

Abstract

Early interactions with significant individuals affect social experience throughout the course of a lifetime, as a repeated and prolonged perception of different levels of care, independence, or control influences the modulation of emotional regulatory processes. As many factors play a role in shaping the expectations and features of social interaction, in this study, we considered the influence of parental bonding and genetic allelic variation of oxytocin receptor gene polymorphism (rs53576) over levels of experienced anxiety and avoidance in 313 young adults belonging to two different cultural contexts, namely Italy and Singapore. Results highlighted a major effect of maternal characteristics, care, and overprotection, with differences between the two cultural groups. Additionally, the interaction between rs53576 and maternal overprotection suggested different environmental susceptibility in the Italian sample and the Singaporean one. Implications for clinical work and future steps are described in the Conclusion.

Highlights

Fundamental works in disciplines related to developmental psychology have demonstrated that early social interactions with caregivers influence different aspects of child development, such as social relationships [1,2,3], academic performance [4], response to stress [5,6], individual well-being, and risk for psychopathology [7,8,9,10]
Care allows individuals to be less restrained in social interactions, while overprotection diminishes the effectiveness of emotional regulation and the attitude about exploring new social situations
Starting from the evidence in the literature suggesting the key role of oxytocin [55,56] and parental bonding in influencing social behavior [21,57], the main purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the different genetic susceptibility and early interactions on the levels of anxiety and avoidance experienced in adult relationships in two different cultural contexts

Summary

Introduction

Fundamental works in disciplines related to developmental psychology have demonstrated that early social interactions with caregivers influence different aspects of child development, such as social relationships [1,2,3], academic performance [4], response to stress [5,6], individual well-being, and risk for psychopathology [7,8,9,10]. It is likely that positive parenting practices, like higher levels of warmth, care, and sensitivity, will result in more adaptive emotion-regulation skills [12]. Care allows individuals to be less restrained in social interactions, while overprotection diminishes the effectiveness of emotional regulation and the attitude about exploring new social situations. Less positive caregiving patterns are relevant to the manifestation of anxiety in social relationships [14]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion