Abstract
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; Mage = 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.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all study participants, universities and schools for their contribution to this work. We are especially grateful to Mr. Shuomin Xi for his assistance in data collection.
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This study was supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China (20BSH165) to P.G.
Data Sharing and DeclarationThe data are available from figshare.com (https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24186768).
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W.Z. conceived the study, collected the data, analyzed the data and helped draft the manuscript; Q.L. analyzed the data; M.Z. collected the data; W.L. collected the data; Y.Y. coordinated the study; P.G. conceived and supervised the study, designed the data, authored the funding application, participated in the interpretation of the data, conceived of the manuscript and revising the draft. All authors revised, edited, and approved the final version of the manuscript.
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Zhao, W., Lan, Q., Zhou, M. et al. Genetic Contributions to Attachment Stability Over Time: the Roles of CRHR1 Polymorphisms. J. Youth Adolescence 53, 273–283 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01888-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01888-2