species with lower OTR expression in specific brain regions (12) and mice deficient of OT or OTR characterized by social amnesia in adulthood all display decreased social communication during early life (72–76), it may be suggested that the A-allele is associated with a decreased OT function in women which may influence social behaviors throughout life. The effect of the rs7632287 SNP on childhood social problems may also indicate that early precursor traits mediate the association between the rs7632287 SNP and pair-bonding. The limited sample size determined by the number of girls in the TCHAD sample having a romantic relationship, however did not provide enough power to directly test this hypothesis. Nevertheless, our findings suggest that OXTR plays a significant role in relationships across the life span. As described previously, human research suggests that OXTR is associated with a variety of prosocial behaviors during adulthood, behaviors possibly enhancing women’s social competence and the quality of their social relationships through eliciting more positive responses from social partners or through fostering more opportunities for social interactions. Our longitudinal analyses suggest that these effects are present by middle childhood, persist through adolescence, and possibly, through adulthood. These findings are consistent with previous studies that
