Psychophysiological effects of oxytocin on parent–child interactions: A literature review on oxytocin and parent–child interactions

Abstract

Oxytocin (OT), often called the 'hormone of love' or 'hormone of attachment,' plays a fundamental role in the establishment and quality of parent-infant bonding. However, emerging evidence indicates that OT can also produce antisocial behavior. To clarify these effects, we review studies examining the role of endogenous and exogenous OT on several determinants of attachment: parental sensitivity, and bonding or synchrony in parent-child dyads. Contextual and individual factors moderating the effect of intranasal OT and its peripheral levels are also reviewed. Finally, potential therapeutic applications for OT and current limitations in human OT research are examined. This systematic literature review was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, with two electronic databases and other bibliographic sources. We identified a total of 47 relevant studies for inclusion in our review. Most of the findings are in accordance with recent ideas that OT administration may increase parent-child prosocial interaction, showing that OT exerts beneficial effects on processes thought to promote bonding, sensitivity, and synchrony. However, we found that OT can induce antisocial behavior (e.g., anxiety) or adverse effects (modulation of maternal care recollections) that are moderated by different contextual (e.g., maltreatment level, presence of unfamiliar people) and individual (attachment style) factors. This review reinforces the importance of context- and individual-dependent factors, which must be taken into account when analyzing the psychophysiological effects of OT.

Sex differences in stress reactivity after intranasal oxytocin in recreational cannabis users

“…While OXT did not appear to directly alter cannabis self-administration, there was some evidence that OXT and stress interacted with cannabis self-administration since, in the OXT-TSST condition, women waited longer to begin smoking cannabis and smoked less cannabis than men in the first 45 minutes of the self-administration session. Taken together, while there is growing preclinical evidence that OXT may have therapeutic benefits for addiction (Lee & Weerts, 2016; McGregor & Bowen, 2012; Pedersen, 2017), there is also increasing evidence that the effects of OXT on stress, and other behaviors, are more complex than initially assumed (e.g., Shamay-Tsoory & Young, 2016; Szymanska et al, 2017), and OXT may actually exacerbate stress response (e.g., Eckstein et al, 2014; Kubzansky et al, 2012) rather than ameliorate it (e.g., McRae-Clark et al, 2013) in certain circumstances, particularly in females. Given the potential role of stress in drug use, clearly more clinical OXT research is needed (e.g., Insel, 2016).…”

Physiology of Stress and Use of Skin-to-Skin Care as a Stress-Reducing Intervention in the NICU

“…Although this biological response to SSC is true throughout infancy, there is believed to be a particularly sensitive time in the first 2 hours of life when this direct skin-on-skin contact activates neuroendocrine hormonal changes that were shown to have long-lasting effects (Bystrova et al, 2009). The key hormone involved in the effects of SSC is oxytocin, otherwise known as the love or attachment hormone (Szymanska, Schneider, Chateau-Smith, Nezelof, & Vulliez-Coady, 2017;Vittner et al, 2018).…”

Oxytocin and Eating Disorders: A Narrative Review on Emerging Findings and Perspectives

“…Oxytocin might play a crucial role in this putative link between attachment and eating. As outlined above, oxytocin has long been known to play a crucial role in bonding behavior and attachment, e.g ., it increases positive parent-child interactions and fosters sensitivity and synchrony [73]. Moreover, it is released during breast feeding and is thus involved in the regulation of a behavior that closely interties the regulation of both, the mother-child social relationship and eating behavior.…”