Bonassi Andrea, Cataldo Ilaria, Gabrieli Giulio, Lepri Bruno, Esposito Gianluca
Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Italy.
Mobile and Social Computing Lab, Bruno Kessler Foundation, 38123 Trento, Italy.
Brain Sci. 2021 Aug 25;11(9):1123. doi: 10.3390/brainsci11091123.
Humans are evolutionary-driven to adult mating and conceive social expectations on the quality of their affiliations. The genetic susceptibility to adverse environments in critical periods can alter close relationships. The current research investigates how the promoter region of the Serotonin Transporter Gene (5-HTTLPR) and perceived caregiving behavior in childhood could influence the social expectations on close adult relationships. For this purpose, 5-HTTLPR data was collected from the buccal mucosa of 65 Italian individuals (33 males). The participants filled (a) the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) to provide the levels of care and overprotection from mother and father, and (b) the Experience in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) to report the social expectations on the intimate relationship assessed in terms of anxiety and avoidance from the partner. An interaction effect between 5-HTTLPR and PBI dimensions on the ECR-R scores was hypothesized. Results confirmed that the interplay between the genetic groups and history of maternal overprotection predicted avoidance experienced in romantic relationships in adulthood. Moreover, both adult anxiety and avoidance felt in an intimate relationship were found to covary as a function of maternal overprotection. The present work proposes further evidence of the genetic and parental mechanisms regulating social expectations involved in close relationships.
人类受进化驱动而进行成年交配，并对其人际关系质量产生社会期望。关键时期对不利环境的遗传易感性会改变亲密关系。当前研究调查了血清素转运体基因（5-HTTLPR）的启动子区域以及童年时期感知到的养育行为如何影响对成年亲密关系的社会期望。为此，从65名意大利人（33名男性）的颊黏膜收集了5-HTTLPR数据。参与者填写了（a）父母教养方式问卷（PBI）以提供来自母亲和父亲的关爱程度及过度保护程度，以及（b）亲密关系经历量表修订版（ECR-R）以报告对亲密关系的社会期望，该期望从对伴侣的焦虑和回避方面进行评估。假设5-HTTLPR与PBI维度对ECR-R得分存在交互作用。结果证实，遗传组与母亲过度保护史之间的相互作用预测了成年后浪漫关系中经历的回避。此外，发现亲密关系中感受到的成年焦虑和回避都与母亲过度保护有关。本研究进一步证明了调节亲密关系中社会期望的遗传和父母机制。
