Genetic and Attachment Influences on Adolescents' Regulation of Autonomy and Aggressiveness

Autor/inn/en	Zimmermann, Peter; Mohr, Cornelia; Spangler, Gottfried
Titel	Genetic and Attachment Influences on Adolescents' Regulation of Autonomy and Aggressiveness
Quelle	In: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50 (2009) 11, S.1339-1347 (9 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0021-9630
DOI	10.1111/j.1469-7610.2009.02158.x
Schlagwörter	Personality Traits; Mothers; Psychopathology; Attachment Behavior; Adolescents; Adjustment (to Environment); Genetics; Anxiety; Parent Child Relationship; Personal Autonomy; Risk; Aggression; Biochemistry; Emotional Adjustment; Self Control; Task Analysis; Individual Differences; Security (Psychology); Interpersonal Relationship + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Individual characteristics; Personality characteristic; Persönlichkeitsmerkmal; Mother; Mutter; Psychopathologie; Attachment; Bindungsverhalten; Adolescent; Adolescence; Adoleszenz; Jugend; Jugendalter; Jugendlicher; Humangenetik; Angst; Parents-child relationship; Parent-child-relation; Parent-child relationship; Eltern-Kind-Beziehung; Individuelle Autonomie; Risiko; Biochemie; Emotionale Anpassung; Selbstbeherrschung; Aufgabenanalyse; Individueller Unterschied; Security; Psychology; Sicherheit; Interpersonal relation; Interpersonal relations; Interpersonelle Beziehung; Zwischenmenschliche Beziehung
Abstract	Background: Adolescence is a time when intense emotions are elicited within the parent-adolescent relationship, often when autonomy subjectively is endangered. As emotion dysregulation is one of the risk processes for the development of psychopathology, adolescence may be perceived as a highly sensitive period for maladjustment. Inter-individual differences in emotionality and emotion regulation have been shown to be influenced or moderated by molecular genetic differences in the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT) and by attachment patterns. We investigated whether both the 5-HTT and attachment are associated with emotionality and emotion regulation in an observed adolescent-mother interaction and the personality traits aggressiveness and anxiety in adolescence. Methods: Ninety-one adolescents at age 12 were observed in interaction with their mothers during a standardized emotion-eliciting social task to assess emotionality and emotion regulation in relation to autonomy. Adolescents' aggressiveness and anxiety were assessed by mother report. Concurrent attachment quality was determined by an attachment interview. DNA samples were collected in order to assess the 5-HTTLPR, a repeat polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene. Results: While the short allele of the serotonin transporter gene was associated with a higher overall rate of autonomy behaviors, attachment security was related to more agreeable and less hostile autonomy. A significant interaction revealed a moderating effect of attachment security. Carriers of the short version of the 5-HTTLPR showed more agreeable autonomy when they had a secure attachment behavior strategy but showed more hostile autonomy when they were insecurely attached. Carriers of the short version of the 5-HTTLPR and insecurely attached adolescents were rated as more aggressive. Conclusions: The study suggests a gene-attachment interaction in adolescents where the adolescent's attachment status moderates a genetically based higher negative reactivity in response to threats to autonomy in social interactions. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10