Oxytocin Receptor Gene Variant Interacts with Intervention Delivery Format in Predicting Intervention Outcomes for...

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Behavioral Genetics
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Coping Power is an evidence-based program for aggressive youth, typically group-delivered.
• Concerns exist about potential negative effects of grouping high-risk youth.
• Genetic factors may influence how individuals respond to different intervention formats.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if genetic risk moderates the outcome of group versus individual Coping Power interventions.
• To examine the role of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) variant rs2268493 in intervention response.

Main Methods:

• 197 fourth-grade African-American children were randomly assigned to Group or Individual Coping Power.
• The OXTR rs2268493 variant was genotyped.
• Longitudinal behavior assessments were collected over 1 year.
• Growth curve analyses examined genotype by delivery format interactions.

Main Results:

• A significant genotype by delivery format interaction was found.
• Youth with the A/A genotype improved regardless of intervention format.
• Carriers of the G allele showed improvement only in the individual format; they worsened in the group format.

Conclusions:

• Genetic factors, specifically OXTR rs2268493, can predict individual response to intervention format.
• Youth with the G allele may be more susceptible to negative peer influences in group settings.
• Personalized intervention strategies based on genetic profiles may enhance treatment efficacy for aggressive behavior.