G x E interaction in the organization of attachment: mothers' responsiveness as a moderator of children's genotypes

Robin A Barry; Grazyna Kochanska; Robert A Philibert

doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.01935.x

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G x E interaction in the organization of attachment: mothers' responsiveness as a moderator of children's genotypes

Journal article

Peer reviewed

G x E interaction in the organization of attachment: mothers' responsiveness as a moderator of children's genotypes

Robin A Barry, Grazyna Kochanska and Robert A Philibert

Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, Vol.49(12), pp.1313-1320

12/2008

DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.01935.x

PMCID: PMC2688730

PMID: 19120710

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Abstract

Scholars acknowledge that both biologically-founded child temperament and environmental factors are influential in determining the quality of infant-mother attachment. We present evidence for gene by environment (G x E) interaction in the organization of attachment. Participants were 88 typically developing infants and their mothers. Molecular genetic measures of the infants focused on the polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR, ss/sl vs. ll genotype). Mothers' responsiveness to their infants at 7 months was observed in lengthy naturalistic interactions, and was conceptualized as the environmental influence. For infants with a short allele (ss/sl ), variation in mothers' responsiveness was significantly associated with attachment security, assessed at 15 months in the Strange Situation. For those infants, low responsiveness predicted particularly high risk for insecure attachment, and high responsiveness offset that risk. For infants homozygous for the long allele (ll ), there was no association between responsiveness and attachment organization. The findings show that the quality of early care serves to amplify or offset the risk conferred by genotype.

Predictive Value of Tests

Genetic Predisposition to Disease - genetics

Object Attachment

Humans

Risk Factors

Child, Preschool

Infant

Male

Social Environment

Temperament

Affective Symptoms - genetics

Mother-Child Relations

Mothers - psychology

Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins - genetics

Affective Symptoms - psychology

Alleles

Female

Polymorphism, Genetic - genetics

Longitudinal Studies

Details

Title: Subtitle: G x E interaction in the organization of attachment: mothers' responsiveness as a moderator of children's genotypes
Creators: Robin A Barry - Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA. robin-barry@uiowa.edu
Grazyna Kochanska
Robert A Philibert
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, Vol.49(12), pp.1313-1320
DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.01935.x
PMID: 19120710
PMCID: PMC2688730
NLM abbreviation: J Child Psychol Psychiatry
ISSN: 0021-9630
eISSN: 1469-7610
Publisher: England
Grant note: K02 MH001446-07 / NIMH NIH HHS K02 MH001446 / NIMH NIH HHS K02 MH01446 / NIMH NIH HHS R01 HD069171 / NICHD NIH HHS R01 MH063096-07 / NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH63096 / NIMH NIH HHS R01 DA015789 / NIDA NIH HHS R01 MH063096 / NIMH NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 12/2008
Academic Unit: Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering; Psychiatry; Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9984004080802771

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