Genetic Contributions to Attachment Stability Over Time: the Roles of CRHR1 Polymorphisms

• Published in: Journal of youth and adolescence 2024-02, Vol.53 (2), p.273-283
• Main Authors: Zhao, Wenping, Lan, Qi, Zhou, Mingzhu, Liang, Wenting, Yang, Yuting, Gong, Pingyuan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anxiety; Attachment; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child and School Psychology; Child development; Clinical Psychology; Emotional regulation; Emotions; Empirical Research; Genetics; Genotype & phenotype; Health Psychology; History of Psychology; Hormones; Law and Psychology; Physiology; Psychology; Stability
• ISSN: 0047-2891; 1573-6601
• DOI: 10.1007/s10964-023-01888-2

Corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1), a hormone receptor essential to the activation of HPA axis and the subsequent release of cortisol, plays critical roles in emotional and behavioral responses relevant to attachment. However, the specific roles of CRHR1 polymorphisms in attachment remain unclear. To further clarify these genetic effects, this research conducted a three-wave study to investigate whether the CRHR1 polymorphisms (i.e., rs110402 and rs242924) are associated with the stability and variability of attachment by using a sample of freshmen ( N  = 604; M age  = 18.57 years, SD  = 1.90; 68.8% girls). The results showed that rs110402 and rs242924 were associated with the stability of closeness-dependence. The G alleles of the both polymorphisms were found not to be related to lower attachment stability. However, these polymorphisms were not associated with the variability of attachment. Overall, these findings provide evidence for the contribution of CRHR1 to attachment stability.