Back to Search
Start Over
Identifying the interaction of maternal sensitivity and two serotonin-related gene polymorphisms on infant self-regulation.
- Source :
-
Infant Behavior & Development . Nov2014, Vol. 37 Issue 4, p606-614. 9p. - Publication Year :
- 2014
-
Abstract
- During infancy, orienting and gaze aversion serve as major self-regulatory mechanisms and play an important role in the development of deliberate self-regulation and control. The present study examined the interaction of intrinsic factors (MAOA-uVNTR and 5-HTTLPR gene polymorphisms) and extrinsic factors (maternal sensitivity) on early infant self-regulatory behavior. We assessed 5-HTTLPR (ss + sl versus ll) and MAOA-uVNTR (3 and 4 among boys, and 3/3, 3/4, and 4/4 among girls) polymorphisms, determined maternal sensitivity during mother–child free play, and coded infant self-regulatory behavior (i.e., orienting shifts in a temperament test) in 281 six-month-old infants. We found that infants who experienced a lower level of maternal sensitivity and had the short allele of 5-HTTLPR variants and the 3/3 MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism displayed lower self-regulation capacity than did those infants with a higher level of maternal sensitivity. This finding suggested a modulatory role of maternal sensitivity. Moreover, these findings are consistent with the genetic vulnerability hypothesis, which states that beneficial environmental factors serve as a buffer against harmful genetic predispositions during child development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 01636383
- Volume :
- 37
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Infant Behavior & Development
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 99898256
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2014.06.009