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. 2011 Aug 25:2:200.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00200. eCollection 2011.

Oxytocin Receptor (OXTR) Polymorphisms and Attachment in Human Infants

Frances S Chen  1 , Maria E Barth, Stephen L Johnson, Ian H Gotlib, Susan C Johnson
Affiliations

Oxytocin Receptor (OXTR) Polymorphisms and Attachment in Human Infants

Frances S Chen et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Ordinary variations in human infants' attachment behaviors - their proclivity to seek and accept comfort from caregivers - are associated with a wide range of individual differences in psychological functioning in adults. The current investigation examined variation in the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene as one possible source of these variations in infant attachment. One hundred seventy-six infants (77 Caucasian, 99 non-Caucasian) were classified as securely or insecurely attached based on their behavior in the Strange Situation (Ainsworth et al., 1978). The A allele of OXTR rs2254298 was associated with attachment security in the non-Caucasian infants (p < 0.005). These findings underscore the importance of oxytocin in the development of human social behavior and support its role in social stress-regulation and the development of trust.

Keywords: attachment; development; oxytocin; polymorphisms; trust.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percentage of infants classified as secure as a function of rs2254298 genotype and ethnicity. Group A includes infants with the AA or AG genotype. Group G includes infants with the GG genotype. The effect of genotype on attachment security was significant in the non-Caucasian group (p < 0.005).
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