The present pilot data point to a strong association of less secure attachment and social anxiety as well as to a gene-environment interaction effect of OXTRrs53576 genotype and attachment style on social anxiety possibly constituting a targetable combined risk marker of social anxiety disorder.
Similar multi-level results have been reported for genetic and epigenetic variation in the OXTR gene, especially in social anxiety disorder (SAD), and for CRHR1 gene variation in women with panic disorder.