@article{78716e6af98d45d6a97a9b688d117653,
title = "Exploring the role of OXTR gene methylation in attachment development: A longitudinal study",
abstract = "The current study explored longitudinally whether oxytocin receptor gene methylation (OXTRm) changes moderated the association between parental sensitivity changes and children's attachment changes over three waves. Six hundred six Flemish children (10–12 years, 42.8%–44.8% boys) completed attachment measures and provided salivary OXTRm data on seven CpG sites. Their parents reported their sensitive parenting. Results suggest that OXTRm changes hardly link to attachment (in)security changes after the age of 10. Some support was found for interaction effects between parental sensitivity changes and OXTRm changes on attachment changes over time. Effects suggest that for children with increased OXTRm in the promotor region and decreased methylation in the inhibitor region over time, increased parental sensitivity was associated with increased secure attachment and decreased insecure attachment over time.",
keywords = "attachment, hormones, parental care",
author = "Bien Cuyvers and Tsachi Ein-Dor and Melisse Houbrechts and Kathleen Freson and Luc Goossens and {Van Den Noortgate}, Wim and {van Leeuwen}, Karla and Patricia Bijttebier and Stephan Claes and Jonathan Turner and Viktoria Chubar and Bakermans-Kranenburg, {Marian J.} and Guy Bosmans",
note = "ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This study was funded by FWO grant G0D6721N, FWO Excellence of Science (EOS) Grant G0I2422N, and KU Leuven Onderzoeksfonds Grant C14/16/040. We like to thank Marinus van IJzendoorn for his support while conducting the analyses and writing the report. The data necessary to reproduce the analyses presented here are not publicly accessible. The analytic code necessary to reproduce the analyses presented in this paper will be made publicly accessible. The analyses presented here were not preregistered. The materials necessary to attempt to replicate the findings presented here are accessible upon request. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.",
year = "2024",
month = jul,
doi = "10.1002/dev.22496",
language = "English",
volume = "66",
journal = "Developmental Psychobiology",
issn = "0012-1630",
publisher = "John Wiley & Sons Inc.",
number = "5",
}