Citation

Saphire-Bernstein S, Way BM, Kim HS, Sherman DK, Taylor SE. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2011; 108(37): 15118-15122.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, National Academy of Sciences)

DOI

10.1073/pnas.1113137108

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Psychological resources--optimism, mastery, and self-esteem--buffer the deleterious effects of stress and are predictors of neurophysiological and psychological health-related outcomes. These resources have been shown to be highly heritable, yet the genetic basis for this heritability remains unknown. Here, we report a link between the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) SNP rs53576 and psychological resources, such that carriers of the "A" allele have lower levels of optimism, mastery, and self-esteem, relative to G/G homozygotes. OXTR was also associated with depressive symptomatology. Mediation analysis indicates that the effects of OXTR on depressive symptoms may be largely mediated by the influence of OXTR on psychological resources.

Language: en