Oxytocin receptor variant rs53576 genotype is associated with dysphoric arousal symptoms of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder in Chinese earthquake survivors.

Purpose: Evidence suggests that the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene may be involved in the psychopathology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study aimed to investigate the effects of OXTR rs53576 genotype on PTSD symptoms introduced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM-5).

Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study conducted among 1140 adults who had personally experienced the Wenchuan earthquake. PTSD symptoms were measured with the PTSD checklist for DSM-5. A custom-by-design 2 × 48-Plex SNPscan Kit were used to determine the OXTR rs53576. Multiple regression models were used to analyze the independent and interactive effects of OXTR rs53576 genotype and earthquake exposure on the severity of total PTSD symptoms and different dimensions of PTSD symptoms.

Results: The results revealed that the rs53576 genotype could significantly predict PTSD symptoms (β = 0.055, p = 0.045). Further analysis showed that the rs53576 genotype was only significantly associated with dysphoric arousal symptoms of PTSD (β = 0.080, p = 0.005). The rs53576 genotype × earthquake exposure interaction had no significant effect on different symptom clusters (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: This study showed that the rs53576 genotype was only associated with the dysphoric arousal symptoms but not with other symptom clusters of PTSD. These findings support the role of the OXTR on the psychopathology of PTSD and help us to understand the genetic basis of PTSD.