DOI: 10.21979/n9/0cae55
title: Related Data for: Effect of early paternal caregiving and genotype rs25531 polymorphisms on the adult relationship with the partner

description: Adult social interactions are regulated by the mental representation of self and behavioural expectation from the others. Specifically, early interactions with parents affect social experience throughout a lifetime, as a repeated and prolonged perception of different levels of care, independence or control influences the modulation of emotional regulatory processes. Although environmental factors, like early parent-child bonding, affect adult significant social interactions, intrinsic biological predispositions could play a pivotal role in modulating the degrees of susceptibility to the external social context, especially in a sensitive temporal frame like childhood [1]. Among the multiple genetic variants, features related to parenting assets and recalled attachment could be associated with a region of the serotonin transporter gene, namely 5HTT rs25531 [2]. However, evidence for this claim is underexplored. In this study, we investigated the extent to which the interaction between perceived parental warmth and 5HTT rs25531 variants (TT&gt;TC) affect the significant relationships in adulthood, assessed in terms of anxiety and avoidance. With this goal, we collected information about inferred parental care and protection from both mother and father using the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) [3], anxiety and avoidance felt in intimate relationships from the Experience in Close Relationships (ECR) questionnaire [4], and genetic information of 5HTT rs25531 was extracted from a buccal mucosa sample. Information was recruited from 153 young adults in Singapore (F= 96; M= 57) to estimate the influence of early interactions and genetic features in the development of adult social behavior. Two univariate mixed linear models were performed with the ECR dimension as the dependent variable, the genotype rs25531, age and gender as between-subjects factors and the PBI dimensions as predictors (corrected α = 0.025). Results revealed that early paternal overprotection (β= 1.21, SE= 0.43, t = 2.83, p= 0.005) and the interaction between genotype and the same PBI dimension significantly affect the adult avoidance from the partner (β= -1.55, SE= 0.55, t = -2.84, p= 0.005, R²= 0.09, power = 0.76) independent of age and gender. Paternal overprotection was negatively associated with avoidance for T/T homozygous (t = -0.49, df = 103, r = -0.05, ns), but positively associated with adult avoidance for C-carriers (t = 2.61, df = 46, r = 0.36, p= 0.01). The slope between the two genotypes were statistically different (z = 2.39, p= 0.02). The effects of paternal care (β= -0.95, SE= 0.40, t = -2.37, p= 0.02) and overprotection (β= 1.10, SE= 0.47, t = -2.36, p= 0.02, R²= 0.17) were instead identified on anxiety scores independent of the genetic profile. These findings promote evidence of a differential susceptibility between polymorphisms within the genetic region rs25531. Individuals with C variation who recalled paternal overprotection showed an increasing tendency of avoidance from the intimate partner. In contrast, a decreasing level of avoidance was observed in T/T homozygous who reported an equivalent history of paternal overprotection. The overall effects suggest that fatherhood have a crucial role in child development [5] whose quality outline long-term effects throughout life experiences, such as the mature relationship with the partner.