Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-27-2019
Abstract
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a debilitating mental illness affecting approximately 13% of mothers after birth. Both genetic and psychosocial factors contribute to PPD risk, but very little is known about how these factors interact. We tested whether the rs53576 polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene accounts for variation in the impact of low social support as a risk factor for depression among mothers during the perinatal period. New mothers (N = 220) provided saliva or blood DNA samples and completed surveys assessing PPD symptoms and perceived social support. In a significant interaction, social support from the baby’s father predicted PPD symptoms to a greater extent among mothers with the GG compared to AG and AA genotypes. These results add to converging evidence that variation in OXTR rs53576 moderates the impact of the social environment on PPD.
Recommended Citation
Bhatti, P., Delaney, T., Poulin, M., Hahn-Holbrook, J., 2019. Oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and father support interact to predict depressive symptoms postpartum. Biological Psychology 147, 107686. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2019.03.015
Copyright
Elsevier
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Included in
Maternal and Child Health Commons, Mental Disorders Commons, Other Psychiatry and Psychology Commons, Psychological Phenomena and Processes Commons, Women's Health Commons
Comments
NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Biological Psychology. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Biological Psychology, volume 147, in 2019. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2019.03.015
The Creative Commons license below applies only to this version of the article.