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Influence of a "Warm Touch" Support Enhancement Intervention Among Married Couples on Ambulatory Blood Pressure, Oxytocin, Alpha Amylase, and Cortisol
Abstract
To investigate whether a support intervention (warm touch enhancement) influences physiological stress systems that are linked to important health outcomes. Growing evidence points to a protective effect of social and emotional support on both morbidity and mortality.
In this study, 34 healthy married couples (n = 68), aged 20 to 39 years (mean = 25.2 years), were randomly assigned to a "behavior monitoring" control group or participated in a 4-week intervention study in which clinic levels of plasma oxytocin, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure, and salivary cortisol and alpha amylase were obtained pre and post intervention, at the same time salivary oxytocin was taken at home during weeks 1 and 4.
Salivary oxytocin was enhanced both early and late in the intervention group and alpha amylase was reduced at post treatment in intervention group husbands and wives relative to controls. Husbands in the intervention group had significantly lower post treatment 24-hour systolic blood pressure than the control group.
Increasing warm touch among couples has a beneficial influence on multiple stress-sensitive systems.
... For example, touch can reduce heart rate, pain perception and processing, subjective stress level, and cortisol. These effects have been even shown using ecologically valid paradigms, for example, hand holding with the romantic partner, massage, or skin-toskin caress (Ditzen et al. 2007;Holt-Lunstad et al. 2008;Liljencrantz et al. 2017;Savallampi et al. 2023). Using skin-to-skin touch, we have shown that social touch is associated with a decrease of sympathetic and an increase of parasympathetic nervous system activity (Candia-Rivera et al. 2024a) and that these changes are coupled to changes in brain activity (Candia-Rivera et al. 2025). ...
... This physiological regulation is learned in social interaction with caregivers and probably continues to be socially informed through close interpersonal relationships. As described above, tactile interaction between romantic partners reduces pain perception and processing, subjective stress, heart rate, blood pressure, and biomarkers of stress (Ditzen et al. 2007;Holt-Lunstad et al. 2008;Light et al. 2005;Liljencrantz et al. 2017;Savallampi et al. 2023). In addition, tactile interactions also modulate adult physiological state by contributing to pair bonding through eliciting oxytocin release (Yu et al. 2022) and physiological synchronization between romantic partners (Chatel-Goldman et al. 2014). ...
Slow caressing of the skin activates C-tactile fibers in the periphery and the posterior insula cortex. Because of this, Bud Craig considered affective touch to be an interoceptive modality. Through the tactile sense, we perceive the border of our own body and the largest of our organs, the skin. Whether or not C-targeted touch is considered interoceptive, it contributes fundamentally to the development and maintenance of the bodily self. This is supported by experimental data from cases, where somatosensory processing is altered, and the other way around, i.e., when the bodily sense of self is changed either pharmacologically or in psychiatric conditions. Self-touch can be seen as a special case contributing to the bodily self-model by providing high fidelity signals within a closed feedback loop. Social touch, especially between parents and children and between romantic partners, plays a crucial role in social allostasis and the co-regulation of physiology and emotions. Touch, both self-touch and social touch, should therefore be considered foundational for the bodily self and essential for mental and physiological well-being. Through touch, we perceive the self in its most basic form, as a social body.
... Touch has been found to down regulate stress and threat reactivity (Cohen et al., 2007) and promote better recovery from stress (Robinson et al., 2015). This has been supported across experimental, objective, and subjective reports of stress (Burleson et al., 2007;Holt-Lunstad et al., 2008). Important, however, is that attachment theory plays a role in how touch is both pursued and experienced. ...
... Although this relationship is likely bidirectional, our findings may highlight new areas for stress management and intervention through partner-induced cuddling. Indeed, previous experimental research suggests that intervening in affectionate touch provides physiological benefits (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2008). ...
Prior research on couples’ physical closeness during sleep (“cuddling”) suggests a benefit to relationship satisfaction and that affectionate touch during sleep onset may also improve mood and stress. Importantly, however, this initial research has yet to connect couples’ physical sleep positions at onset with attachment insecurity, stress, or sleep quality. Utilizing dyadic data from 143 mixed-gender, heterosexual bed-sharing couples, the present study examined the associations between couples’ average physical closeness at sleep onset, perceived stress, attachment insecurity, and sleep disturbance. We utilized a series of chi square tests of independence as well as the Common Fate Mediation Model (CFMeM) in Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with accompanying procedures to test alternative ordered models against our hypothesized model. We also included daytime sleepiness, income, age, relationship length, if children or pets sleep in the bed, and sleep diagnoses as important covariates. Results revealed no significant associations between individual preferred sleep position and couple physical sleep position. In addition, more physically close couple sleep positions at onset were indirectly linked with lower couple insecure attachment through lower couple stress. No significant associations were found between physical closeness at sleep onset and sleep disturbance. Although the present data were cross-sectional and future research is needed, physical closeness at sleep onset may be a promising and amenable avenue for improving relational and physiological well-being.
... Sometimes, interpersonal touch is related to emotional communication. In intimate relationships, interpersonal touch from one's partner can decrease the responses to electric shock [1], reduce stress [2], and relieve pain [3]. On the other hand, interpersonal touch among strangers who have no desire to build a relationship, such as accidentally bumping into each other on a crowded subway or a pat-down at an airport security check, produces a host of negative consequences [4]. ...
... The Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) includes 20 items on a four-point scale with occasionally or never = 1, sometimes = 2, often = 3 and continuous = 4. After recoding reversed items (2,5,6,11,12,14,16,17,18,20 ), the final score equals forward scoring plus reverse scoring [45,46]. In this study, the α = 0.793/ ω = 0.803 [47,48]. ...
Background
Interpersonal touch is an essential element of human social life. It’s unclear whether the neural patterns of interpersonal touch are specific to intimate relationships or generally apply to other social relationships. Romantic lovers are typically intimate and have a high level of interpersonal touch. Currently, researchers focused on the neurobiological basis and neural processes of romantic love.
Methods
110 participants finished two resting-state blocks, no-handholding and handholding conditions, with Electroencephalogram (EEG). We aimed to explore the differences in the brain-brain synchrony pattern of interpersonal touch between romantic lovers and strangers by calculating dynamic interpersonal functional connectivity (dIFC) via EEG-based hyperscanning.
Results
Our results supported that the neural processing of interpersonal touch is a dynamic process. At first half, both groups tended to adapt, and then interpersonal touch increased the dIFC between romantic lovers and decreased the dIFC between strangers. Finally, we employed Support Vector Machine (SVM) to classify EEG signals into two different relationships. SVM recognized two relationships with an accuracy of 71% and 0.77 AUC of ROC at the first half, a 73% accuracy and 0.8 AUC of ROC at the second half.
Conclusions
Our study indicates that interpersonal touch may have different meanings between romantic lovers and strangers. Specifically, interpersonal touch enhances the dIFC between romantic lovers while reducing the dIFC between strangers. The research has important implications for planning touch-based interventions in social and medical care.
... Receiving touch also reduces cortisol secretion, accelerates cortisol recovery, and decreases heart rate and blood pressure during stress exposure in a similar way for men and women (Ditzen et al., 2008. Moreover, after a fourweek touch intervention, both men and women exhibit similar increases in oxytocin and decreases in cortisol and alpha-amylase (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2008). ...
... However, confirming regarding the effect of a suppression effect by gender (Hypothesis 3), the investigation of gender differences first revealed that, contrary to our hypothesis, the effect of the romantic partner touch differed across gender, such that it buffered women's subjective stress response but not men's. This gender difference differs from most previous studies, which found no effects (e.g., Debrot et al., 2014;Holt-Lunstad et al., 2008;Jakubiak & Feeney, 2016;Kreuder et al., 2017). The current design might explain this. ...
Interpersonal touch buffers against stress under challenging conditions, but this effect depends on familiarity. People benefit from receiving touch from their romantic partners, but the results are less consistent in the context of receiving touch from an opposite-gender stranger. We propose that there may be important gender differences in how people respond to touch from opposite-gender strangers. Specifically, we propose that touch from an opposite-gender stranger may only have stress-buffering effects for men, not women. Stress was induced as participants took part in an emotion recognition task in which they received false failure feedback while being touched by a romantic partner or stranger. We measured subjective and physiological markers of stress (i.e., reduced heart rate variability) throughout the experiment. Neither stranger’s nor partner’s touch had any effect on subjective or physiological markers of stress for men. Women, however, subjectively experienced a stress-buffering effect of partner and stranger touch, but showed increased physiological markers of stress when receiving touch from an opposite-gender stranger. These results highlight the importance of considering gender when investigating touch as a stress buffer.
... Likewise, oxytocin has been implicated in parental bonding and romantic relationships in humans (de Boer et al., 2012;Feldman, 2012;Hurlemann & Scheele, 2016;Love, 2014 for reviews). Non-social somatosensory stimulation activates parvocellular oxytocin neurons in rats (Tang et al., 2020), and embraces (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2008;Light et al., 2005;Schneider et al., 2023) and massages (Li et al., 2019;Morhenn et al., 2008) induce the release of endogenous oxytocin in humans. Emerging evidence also points to an involvement of oxytocin in multisensory integration. ...
... 2019;Liljencrantz et al., 2017;López-Solà et al., 2019;Reddan et al., 2020;Von Mohr et al., 2018), social touch can have stress-dampening and anxiolytic effects. For instance, couples that touched each other more frequently during a 4-week intervention had increased salivary oxytocin levels and husbands had lower systolic blood pressure(Holt- Lunstad et al., 2008).Triscoli et al. (2017b) found that receiving touch decreased participants' heart rate. A recent meta-analysis about touch interventions yielded a medium effect size for beneficial effects on both physical and mental health(Packheiser et al., 2023).To investigate the anxiolytic effects of touch under acute stress, previous studies implemented different paradigms which elicit social, emotional, or physical stress.These studies found decreased self-reported distress (VonMohr et al., 2017), lower heart rate(Ditzen et al., 2007) and a decrease in cortisol levels or accelerated cortisol recovery(Berretz et al., 2022;Ditzen et al., 2007Ditzen et al., , 2019Dreisoerner et al., 2021) if participants were touched before or during stress. ...
Trauma can shape the way an individual experiences the world and interacts with other people. Touch is a key component of social interactions, but surprisingly little is known how trauma exposure influences the processing of social touch. In this review, we examine possible neurobiological pathways through which trauma can influence touch processing and lead to touch aversion and avoidance in trauma-exposed individuals. Emerging evidence indicates that trauma may affect sensory touch thresholds by modulating activity in the primary sensory cortex and posterior insula. Disturbances in multisensory integration and oxytocin reactivity combined with diminished reward-related and anxiolytic responses may induce a bias towards negative appraisal of touch contexts. Furthermore, hippocampus deactivation during social touch may reflect a dissociative state. These changes depend not only on the type and severity of the trauma but also on the features of the touch. We hypothesise that disrupted touch processing may impair social interactions and confer elevated risk for future stress-related disorders.
... Activities in the MPS program are focused on key causes that are proven to contribute to the high maternal and newborn mortality rates in Indonesia. MPS aims to ensure that pregnant women, women in labor, and women in the postnatal period have access to trained health personnel (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2008). ...
Background: Labour is a natural occurrence for every woman, but it may turn into a pathological condition if labour lasts too long. One non-pharmacological treatment method that is considered quite effective is oxytocin massage, which is known to stimulate labour contractions. Objective: This study aims to determine the effect of oxytocin massage on changes in oxytocin concentration of mothers in labour. Method: This study used quasi-experiment with purposive sampling technique. The number of samples was 32 people with massage actions performed on the spine using the thumb and knuckles. Data was tested using Chi Squre test, Mann Withney. Results: the study showed Oxytocin in Inpartu Kala I Latent Phase of the group that was massaged was higher than those who were not massaged although it was not significantly significant p=0.175. Significantly there is no effect of differences in Oxytocin Hormone Inpartu Kala I Active Phase (p=0.602). The concentration of oxytocin hormone in the group that was massaged in the first phase of latent labour was higher than that in the active phase, although it was not significant, p=0.076. Oxytocin concentration of the group that was not massaged inpartu Kala I Latent Phase was higher than the Active Phase although not significantly significant p=0.917. Conclusion: In the latent phase, the oxytocin concentration of the group that was massaged and not massaged had a significant difference and in the active phase there was no significant effect on the group
... According to PVT, psychological safety is not simply the removal of threat, we constantly seek and exchange signals of safety with each other through voice tone, facial expression, body language, trust signals, reciprocity and compassion [35]. As such, compassion is fundamental to relationshipbased care, helping patients feel safe and increasing engagement, and it is linked with an increase in the patient's hope for recovery, accountability, control over their health, trust and satisfaction, leading to the provision of safer care, lowered blood pressure and pain perception, and increased survival rates and resilience of healthcare professionals [43][44][45][46][47]. ...
Background: This study explores barriers and facilitators to psychological safety during medical procedures among individuals diagnosed with chronic illnesses in childhood. Psychological safety in healthcare, detected via neuroception and the autonomic nervous system’s responses to perceived safety or threat, is essential for the well-being and mental health of chronically ill patients, especially those with early diagnoses. Methods: Using Polyvagal Theory as a framework, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six participants (aged 20–64) who experienced chronic disease from a young age. The Neuroception of Psychological Safety Scale (NPSS) guided thematic exploration to understand participants’ experiences. Thematic analysis identified key themes that reflect contributors and detractors to psychological safety during medical care. Results: Four primary themes were developed: (1) knowledge empowerment through information and facilitated inquiry, (2) holistic acknowledgment of psychological and social impacts, (3) the role of parental involvement in healthcare interactions, and (4) the need for an individualised, patient-centred approach. Participants expressed a need for psychological support integrated with their medical treatment and the importance of autonomy and clear communication. Conclusions: Psychological safety is central to medical experiences for chronically ill individuals and requires a patient-centred, psychologically informed approach. Emphasising tailored support, family involvement, and comprehensive mental health consideration can foster more effective care and enhance patients’ long-term well-being.
... Oxytocin level was correlated with high blood pressure and positively correlated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure; this correlation was supported by Weingarten et al. [22]. In a previous study, regular hugs between partners were associated with lower blood pressure and higher oxytocin levels in premenopausal women [26]. In an animal experimental study, oxytocin also decreased arterial blood pressure [27]. ...
Aims: This study was to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and obesity in young adults from Sudan, investigate their effect on plasma levels of oxytocin, and examine the association of oxytocin level with the determinants of metabolic syndrome and obesity.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that included 202 young adults. Random sampling was applied to recruit volunteers from Ribat University, Khartoum, Sudan. Blood pressure, waist circumference, and plasma lipids were measured and applied for the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome according to the National Cholesterol Education Program - Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) criteria. Fasting blood glucose and insulin were used to validate the insulin resistance in patients with MetS. Oxytocin was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Results: Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed in 29 students (14.36%). Mean oxytocin level was significantly higher in students with MetS (10.34 pg/mL, N=29) compared with students without MetS (9.15 pg/mL, N=174) (P < 0.001). Mean oxytocin level did not differ between students with homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) ≥ 2.5 (N=47), and without HOMA-IR < 2.5 (N=155); the oxytocin level was 9.53 pg/mL and 9.25 pg/mL, respectively (P = 0.068). Moderate positive correlations existed between oxytocin and waist circumference, BMI, body weight, triglycerides (TG), hip circumference, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL; P < 0.001). Oxytocin did not correlate with fasting blood glucose.
Conclusion: Oxytocin levels increased in young adults with MetS. Oxytocin levels correlate positively with BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, triglycerides, and HDL.
... Higher peripheral plasma oxytocin concentrations were measured in those couples exhibiting mutual support (based on self-report), warm contact, physical intimacy, massages, proximity, and frequent hugging [85]. Results from the intervention study demonstrated that increasing intimacy and warm contact over a four-week period led to a significant increase in salivary oxytocin concentrations in both men and women compared to the control group [86]. Increased oxytocin levels in both men and women have been shown to improve not only relationship quality and bonding but also overall health and immune function [87][88][89]. ...
Love as a complex interplay of emotions and behaviors is underpinned by an intricate network of neurobiological mechanisms. This review provides insight into the molecular basis of love, focusing on the role of key hormones and neuromodulators. The aim of the paper is to report how these biochemical messengers influence various aspects of love, including attraction, attachment, and long-term bonding. By examining the effects of hormones such as dopamine, oxytocin, vasopressin, and serotonin, we aim to elucidate the intricate relationship between biology and behavior. Additionally, the potential impact of modern lifestyle factors on hormonal balance and their subsequent influence on love and social interactions are outlined. This review provides a useful overview of the molecular underpinnings of love, offering insights into the biological mechanisms that shape human relationships.
... Early tactile interactions between parents and infants have been found to be fundamental for emotional regulation and attachment (Hertenstein et al., 2006), while physical touch between adults plays an important role in romantic relationships and social interactions (Gallace & Spence, 2010). Studies have shown that positive touch can reduce anxiety (von Mohr et al., 2018;Packheiser et al., 2024;Eckstein et al., 2020), lower cortisol levels (Dreisoerner et al., 2021;Nikolaeva et al., 2024;Preston & Muñoz, 2023), and increase feelings of trust and social connectedness (Field, 2010;Holt-Lunstad et al., 2008). The importance of understanding individual differences in touch experiences and attitudes has led to the development of psychometric instruments such as the Touch Experiences and Attitudes Questionnaire (TEAQ; Trotter et al., 2018b), which provides a comprehensive measure of touch-related behaviors across different social and emotional contexts. ...
Touch is fundamental to human interaction and well-being, as physical contact often conveys warmth and connection. This study translated and validated the Touch Experiences and Attitudes Questionnaire (TEAQ) in an Italian sample with the aim of offering a culturally appropriate tool to assess diverse touch-related behaviors and attitudes. The Italian TEAQ was administered to 301 participants aged 20 to 66 years (M = 31.78, SD = 10.02). A multidimensional graded response model and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to establish construct validity, while convergent validity was assessed through correlations with the Touch Avoidance Measure (TAM) and Touch Avoidance Questionnaire (TAQ). Discriminant validity was evaluated using the Big Five Inventory (BFI), and associations with mirror-touch synaesthesia (MTS) were also examined. Gender differences in touch attitudes and experiences were assessed.Results demonstrated good fit indices and supported the original six-factor structure: Friends and Family Touch (FFT), Current Intimate Touch (CIT), Childhood Touch (ChT), Attitude to Self-Care (ASC), Attitude to Intimate Touch (AIT), and Attitude to Unfamiliar Touch (AUT). Internal consistency was high across subscales (Cronbach’s α: 0.65–0.92). Significant correlations between TEAQ subscales and TAM/TAQ scores indicated good convergent validity, while generally low correlations with BFI traits supported discriminant validity, aside from expected associations with Extraversion and Agreeableness. Significant correlations between TEAQ subscales and MTS screening tool scores underscored the role of sensory processing in touch experiences. Gender differences were consistent with cross-cultural findings, with females scoring higher on FFT, CIT, and ASC, and males scoring higher on AUT.These results confirm the reliability and validity of the TEAQ within the Italian context, underscoring its utility for assessing touch attitudes and experiences. Future research should explore broader applications across varied demographics and clinical populations, especially because of the possible post-pandemic changes of attitudes towards touch.
... Equal aliquots of plasma from each time point for OXT measurement were immediately stored at -80 ºC and were run blinded in a single batch at the end of the study by the Neurobiology Laboratory for Brain Aging and Mental Health, at Basel University (Switzerland) who has experience in measuring OXT. The OXT concentration was measured using the Oxytocin ELISA kit (ENZO Life Sciences, Ann Arbor, MI) according to the manufacturer's protocol 56 . Intra-assay CV was 1.49% and inter-assay CV was 4.36%. ...
Increasing evidence supports the presence of oxytocin deficiency (OXT-D) in patients with hypopituitarism and hypothalamic damage (HHD), that might be associated with neuropsychological deficits and sexual dysfunction, leading to worse quality of life (QoL). Therefore, identifying a provocative test to diagnose an OXT-D will be important. Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is a candidate for such a test as it increases oxytocin secretion in animal models. This study aimed to examine the effects of CRH on oxytocin release in HHD compared to healthy controls (HC) and to describe the psychopathology, sexual function and QoL and their associations with oxytocin. This is a single-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, proof-of-concept study (NCT 04902235) with crossover assignment (CRH vs. placebo). Nineteen HHD patients (10 females) and 20 HC (11 females) completed two visits, receiving CRH or placebo in random order and completed validated questionnaires to assess psychopathology, sexual function and QoL. Samples were collected over 120 min to assess oxytocin. Linear mixed-effects regression model evaluated the change in oxytocin after CRH/placebo in HHD vs. HC. CRH administration did not impact oxytocin concentrations across groups over time (p = 0.97). HHD had greater psychopathology (most ps < 0.05), sexual dysfunction (p < 0.03) and worse QoL (p < 0.001) compared to HC, nevertheless, baseline oxytocin concentrations and area under the curve of oxytocin were not significantly associated with psychopathology, sexual function or QoL, neither in HHD or HC. In conclusion, CRH administration does not appear to be a suitable provocative test for diagnosing OXT-D in HHD. Identifying a reliable diagnostic test for OXT-D remains crucial. Alternative provocative tests or biomarkers should be explored.
... It can also increase levels of oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine, which are linked to positive emotional states and overall well-being. Moreover, this type of touch can reduce sympathetic nervous activity linked to stress and anxiety [18][19][20][21][22][23]. Humans, compared to other species, have specialized nerve fibers (CT afferents) that are highly sensitive to gentle, warm, and caress-like touch, yielding positive emotional and physiological effects [24]. ...
Haptics for stress regulation is well developed these years. Using vibrotactile to present biofeedback, guiding breathing or heartbeat regulation is a dominant technical approach. However, designing computer-mediated affective touch for stress regulation is also a promising way and has not been fully explored. In this paper, a haptic device was developed to test whether the computer-mediated affective stroking on the forearm could help to assist people in reducing stress. In our method, we used mid-air technology to generate subtle pressure force by blowing air and generating thermal feedback by using Peltier elements simultaneously. Firstly, we found intensity and velocity parameters to present comfort and pleasant stroking sensations. Afterward, an experiment was conducted to find out whether this approach could help people mediate their perceived and physiological stress. A total of 49 participants were randomly assigned to either a Stroking Group (SG) or a Control Group (CG). Results showed that participants from SG felt more relaxed than those from CG. The physiological stress index, RMSSD, increased and LF/HF decreased in SG although these changes were not statistically significant. Our exploration created subtle, non-invasive, noiseless haptic sensations. It could be a promising alternative for assisting people in stress regulation. Design implications and future applicable scenarios were discussed.
... Although there were inconsistencies across studies, we found some evidence for positive actor and partner effects of traumatic events on affectionate touch frequency. People with traumatic experiences may be benefiting from affectionate touch's emotion regulation effects (Debrot et al., 2013), such as reduced stress (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2008), as it promotes feelings of security (Jakubiak & Feeney, 2016) and safety (Coan et al., 2006). Moreover, within high-quality relationships, partners might be particularly motivated to provide touch if they perceive that their partner needs it . ...
Past traumatic events negatively affect romantic relationships, yet their impact on affectionate touch, an important predictor of psychological and relational well-being, remains unknown. In two preregistered studies with nonclinical samples, we hypothesized that traumatic events are negatively associated with affectionate touch frequency for both the victim (i.e., actor effect) and their romantic partner (i.e., partner effect). We also expected this negative link to be stronger for the people perceiving relatively low responsiveness and/or high insensitivity in their partner. We used secondary data from 70 Swiss couples in Study 1 and collected data online from 441 couples living in the United States or United Kingdom in Study 2. All couples were heterosexual, and both studies were dyadic and cross-sectional. Unlike our hypotheses, analyses with Actor–Partner Interdependence Models revealed no negative associations between past traumatic events and affectionate touch. In Study 1, we found no significant actor effects but small-sized positive partner effects of men’s traumatic events on women’s affectionate touch frequency. In Study 2, however, two out of three actor effects and one partner effect were positive with negligible to small sizes. Neither perceived partner responsiveness nor insensitivity had a moderating role. The association between past traumatic experiences and affectionate touch was inconsistently nonsignificant or positive but consistently nonnegative across our two studies. Our research demonstrated that past traumatic events did not inhibit individuals from expressing love and care to their partner through affectionate touch in our sample, even for varying levels of perceived partner responsiveness (insensitivity).
... Oxytocin is a nineamino acid peptide synthesized in the paraventricular nuclei and supraoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus, subsequently secreted from the posterior pituitary gland into circulation. Social behaviors such as affectionate touch and physical proximity are known to stimulate oxytocin secretion [14][15][16][17]. Light-intensity acute exercise has been shown to enhance mood and prosocial skills in healthy individuals [18][19][20], with oxytocin believed to partially mediate these effects [18]. ...
... This unique social context may reduce social demands while preserving some advantages of social proximityincluding a state of calm or equanimity, supported by bodily synchronization and emotional attunement (92). Additionally, oxytocin is released in response to many social behaviors that are intentionally renounced during retreat-including affiliative vocalizations, eye contact, social touch, and sexual behavior (93)(94)(95). As such, the withdrawal from these normative forms of social interaction may have contributed to the observed decreases in oxytocin while on retreat. ...
Background
Given its putative roles in mediating prosocial behavior, attachment bonds, and stress physiology, oxytocin modulation has been hypothesized to be a biological correlate of the salubrious effects of meditation practice. Here we investigated the effects of a month-long silent meditation retreat on changes in oxytocin, and the related hormone and vasopressin, in relation to psychosocial changes in attachment style, anxiety, personality measures, and feelings of social connectedness with fellow meditators.
Methods
Plasma oxytocin and vasopressin and self-report questionnaires were measured in retreat participants (n = 28) at the beginning of, and 3 weeks into, a residential meditation retreat. Control participants (n = 34), who were similar in age, gender, and meditation experience, were also assessed across a 3-week interval. Linear mixed effects models were used to assess outcomes.
Results
The retreat group showed a small but significant decrease in oxytocin compared to controls who showed no change. In the retreat group, higher openness to experience at Time 1 predicted greater reductions in oxytocin during the retreat, and lower oxytocin at Time 2 was related to stronger feelings of personal connection with fellow meditators. The changes in oxytocin were not related to attachment style or anxiety. Vasopressin decreased over time across both groups, suggesting no specific effect of retreat.
Conclusion
These preliminary findings suggest that meditation training in the context of a silent residential retreat may reduce circulating levels of oxytocin. We interpret this finding from multiple theoretical perspectives, discussing key measurement limitations and proposing future study designs that may help to differentiate the effects of different meditation practices and contexts on oxytocin signaling.
... Other research demonstrates physiological stress-buffering effects of physical touch, such as hugs and handholding, in relationships (e.g., Burleson et al., 2007;Ditzen et al., 2008). Holt-Lunstad et al. (2008) intervention showed that increasing physical touch between romantic partners also reduced stress. In the laboratory, women who received touch support (i.e., a standardized shoulder massage) from their romantic partners prior to a stressful speech task had lower cortisol responses than women who received no support or only verbal support from their partners (Ditzen et al., 2007). ...
The present study examines how supportive touch impacts evaluations of esteem support content containing high emotion-focused (HEF) or high problem-focused (HPF) messages during observed esteem support interactions. A 2 (verbal content; i.e., HEF or HPF) by 2 (nonverbal content; i.e., presence or absence of supportive tactile communication) experiment was conducted to test for main and interactional effects. Results revealed that HEF conditions were perceived to be more effective by observers at enhancing the recipient’s state self-esteem, state self-efficacy, and alleviating distress compared to HPF conditions. The supportive tactile communication conditions were perceived as better at enhancing state self-esteem and alleviating distress compared to the no supportive tactile communication conditions by observers. However, these main effects were qualified by significant two-way interactions between message content and nonverbal behavior on ratings of state self-esteem and distress alleviation, such that the addition of supportive tactile communication enhanced the effectiveness of HPF message content but not HEF content.
... Put another way, the associations between these measures and brain network edge weights are especially different from other layers, beyond the differences between the measures themselves. Given that social support influences bodily systems beyond the brain ( Holt-Lunstad et al., 2008;Seeman & McEwen, 1996;Uchino et al., 1996), it is important to consider whether the Friendship layer would have comparably distinct associations between physiological and social support measures. Because integrated brain-body data is a relatively new development, it is difficult to comment with confidence on the generality of our results to other physiological measures, but this avenue of questioning will be critical for future work. ...
The social environment has a critical influence on human development, cognition, and health. Research in health psychology and social neuroscience indicate an urgent need to understand how social relationships are associated with brain function and organization. To address this, we apply multilayer modeling and modularity maximization—both established tools in network neuroscience—to jointly cluster patterns of brain-behavior associations for seven social support measures. By using network approaches to map and analyze the connectivity between all pairs of brain regions simultaneously, we can clarify how relationships between brain regions (e.g. connectivity) change as a function of social relationships. This multilayer approach enables direct comparison of brain-behavior associations across social contexts for all brain regions and builds on both ecological and developmental neuroscientific findings and network neuroscientific approaches. In particular, we find that subcortical and control systems are especially sensitive to different constructs of perceived social support. Network nodes in these systems are highly flexible; their community affiliations, which reflect groups of nodes with similar patterns of brain-behavior associations, differ across social support measures. Additionally, our application of multilayer modeling to patterns of brain-behavior correlations, as opposed to just functional connectivity, represents an innovation in how multilayer models are used in human neuroscience. More than that, it offers a generalizable technique for studying the stability and variation of brain-behavior associations.
... Social touch is well known to have a stress-buffering effect, to reduce cortisol and heartrate (Ditzen et al., 2007), and to evoke oxytocin-release (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2008;Walker et al., 2017). Especially slow stroking as in the "love"-gesture, a type of touch that activates the so-called C-tactile fibers (Olausson et al., 2010), is known to relate to stress-measures and interpersonal bonding (McGlone et al., 2014). ...
Grief is a core human experience. The time following the loss of a loved one is associated with an increased risk for negative health outcomes. Yet, only a few studies investigate bodily consequences of grief and consoling behaviors, specifically the potentially supportive role of interpersonal touch during grief. We conducted an online-study where participants filled in questionnaires and rated videos of short touch gestures and interactions. People who lost a loved one within the last 2 years were asked about their grief experiences and to rate the different types of touch from the perspective of a receiver. People who had not lost a close person in the last 2 years rated the touch from the perspective of providing touch to a grieving individual. The majority of the recent-loss sample reported to have perceived their own body and bodily states less after the loss. Two-thirds reported feeling the presence of the deceased at least once. Grief-sensations were experienced mostly in the chest and upper body, the same areas where the consoling effect of a hug was perceived. Overall, the recent-loss group reported amounts of wanting of the vicarious touch gestures similar to the endorsement by people taking the active touching perspective. However, discrepancies between groups were found for some types of touch, including slow affective stroking. These results contribute to a deeper understanding of the body and bodily interactions like social touch in grief and consolation. Our findings can be seen as a first point of reference on how to interact with grieving individuals and could contribute to novel interventions for individuals with prolonged grief disorder. ARTICLE HISTORY
... However, teammates' physical touch may make players feel supported in this crucial moment and reduce stress (e.g., Jakubiak & Feeney, 2019;Robinson et al., 2015) that could otherwise interfere with free throw performance (e.g., Cao et al., 2011;Goldschmied et al., 2022). The positive effects of touch are even measurable physiologically: Touch alters neural activity (e.g., Coan et al., 2006) and decreases stress hormones like cortisol (e.g., Field, 2010;Heinrichs et al., 2003;Holt-Lunstad et al., 2008) -a hormone that has been associated with decreases in athletic performance (e.g., Crewther et al., 2009;Lautenbach et al., 2014Lautenbach et al., , 2015. ...
... Several studies 5,7,16,17 have reported an increase in the concentration of OT in saliva, blood and urine in response to social, affective contact in chimpanzees and humans. Still, no evidence defines a specific role of massage in pregnant women, in particular, that evaluates to which extent a massage can affect the production of OT. ...
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess whether the touch of osteo-pathic manipulative treatment (OMT) can affect the endogenous production of oxytocin in full-term pregnant women and the assessment of well-being following the treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study have been enrolled 57 pregnant women at full-term pregnancy (37 th-41 st week) for evaluation of the concentration of salivary oxytocin 2 minutes before and 2 minutes after a single session of OMT by an osteopath lasting for 30 minutes. Pre-OMT and post-OMT saliva samples were collected with the use of Salivette ® salivary swabs. 7 salivary swabs were excluded from the analysis. 50 samples were analyzed with an appropriate ELISA kit. RESULTS: The mean OT salivary concentration pre-OMT was 89.98±16.39, and post-OMT was 100.60±19.13 tends to increase with p=0.0000051. In multivariate analysis, two subgroups show interesting data in the mean difference in OT salivary concentration post-OMT: women with painful contractions (p=0.06) and women under 35 years (p=0.09). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study demonstrate that the effectiveness of OMT-increasing endogenous oxytocin is statistically significant in full-term pregnant women. The sensation of well-being found in most women indicates that there has been a predominantly central rather than peripheral oxytocin release after OMT.
... First, given the highlighted beneficial effect of affectionate touch in a new romantic relationship, working on bodily sensations and awareness through massage and acupressure could be a meaningful home assignment for couple therapy when the victim is in a new and healthy relationship (see Schellenger, 2015). Such assignments have already proven beneficial in an all-comer population (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2008). Second, the simultaneous presence of undesired affectionate touch and of nefarious consequences of desired affectionate touch within IPV relationships suggests that touch experiences can be a meaningful topic to explore within therapy, especially when affectionate touch also appears as a trigger for traumatic reminiscences. ...
Crucial for human development and functioning, affectionate touch predicts well-being. However, most research on affectionate touch in romantic relationship is conducted with samples in high quality relationships and relies on quantitative methods. We thus know little to nothing about how touch is experienced in low-quality relationships, namely those characterized by intimate partner violence (IPV). To fill this gap, victims of physical and/or sexual IPV who had received psychological support at one association supporting victims of IPV were invited to participate in the present study. The thematic analysis conducted upon the qualitative data revealed five main themes: (1) the definition of identity by touch, (2) the presence of “undesired” touch, (3) the absence of “desired” touch, (4) the memories and flashbacks triggered by touch, and (5) the self-reconstruction allowed by touch. Analyses are discussed in terms of their link with previous research on affectionate touch and on interpersonal violence. The results suggest that this constitute a meaningful topic of investigation to be further analyzed, as well as a possible therapeutic channel.
... Some research shows that the hormone may affect addiction and stress as well. The secretion of this hormone increases when hug someone, dance, laugh, read your favorite book and listen to the music you like [29,30]. ...
Decision-making process (DMP), our everyday most frequent action, has attracted the attention of a wide range of disciplines aiming to identify and analyze its determinants, encompassing specific steps. This paper intends to investigate whether nutrition and habits of managers/employees–via hormone levels–might statistically influence DMP in the business field. Some groups of food could encourage the secretion of specific hormones, which in turn influence the brain’s function that may in turn affect humans’ behavior and emotional status, and hence, their decision. To explore the set hypothesis, fieldwork was undertaken to an extensive random sample, from Greek companies/organizations, using appropriately designed questionnaire to select and statistically analyze related quantitative and qualitative information. The questionnaire was distributed to the employees/managers (n=242) of Greek companies. The findings confirm this hypothesis (statistical significance, p<0.05) and indicate that DMP is influenced by nutrition and habits in interaction with body mass index.
... Research has also demonstrated that social support mediates the relationship of psychological resilience and mental health with coping (Xu et al., 2023). Empirically, association between the relationship quality and mental health has been a topic of research in several studies conducted during normal periods (Holt-Lunstad, 2008;Carr and Umberson, 2013) and during COVID times (Xiao et al., 2020;Schneider et al., 2020;& Pieh et al., 2020). These studies suggest that favourable IPRs contribute to maintaining an excellent work-life balance as a good relationship is a protective factor. ...
Innumerable studies related to COVID-19 carried out across the globe have demonstrated that HCWs worked in stressful and difficult socio-economic environments and, therefore, had a disturbed work-life balance. However, negligible efforts have been made to analyze the factors that impacted it. In order to investigate this phenomenon, a cross-sectional study was undertaken utilizing data obtained directly from a sample of 799 healthcare workers (HCWs) employed in eight hospitals who were actively working throughout the period spanning from April 2020 to March 2022 within the COVID-19 pandemic. Five latent variables, namely, Psychological Stress (PS), Socio-Economic Impact (SEI), Interpersonal Relationships (IPRs), Government Intervention (GI) and Work-Life Balance (WLB), have been developed using a self-designed questionnaire with separate sections for each of them. A comprehensive structural model to determine the variables influencing WLB is estimated using PLS-SEM. The mediating role of IPR in the relationship between PS and WLB is investigated, and the moderating effect of two variables on WLB, 'Government intervention' and 'whether a worker is affected by COVID or not', has been examined. T-test and ANOVA techniques are also applied to examine the impact of these variables across different socio-demographic characteristics. Our findings indicate that variables PS and SEI negatively impact WLB whereas IPRs have positively impacted it. Government intervention, however, did not exhibit any significant impact on it. Further, IPRs partially mediated the relationship between PS and WLB. The role of government is completely non-significant in moderating the relationships of PS and SEI with WLB. A healthcare professional affected by COVID significantly moderated the mediating relationship between PS and IPR and the direct relationship between IPR and WLB. Subsequently, it favourably affected the WLB of HCWs. Our study recommends that the government and hospital authorities should strengthen the resilience-building interventions and expand their efforts to provide social support to HCWs at the hospital and community levels. Concerted actions must be taken to preserve HCWs' work-life balance amidst the challenging circumstances they face, especially during the pandemic.
... Ennyi előny mellett könnyű elfogadni, hogy fontos a fizikai érintés megosztása a partnerek között, a párok ösztönzése arra, hogy a mindennapi életben gyakrabban vegyenek részt szeretetteli érintkezésben, a párok megtanítása az "érintésre hallgatásra" (Carmichael, Goldberg, & Coyle, 2020;Holt-Lunstad, Birmingham, & Light, 2008;Jakubiak & Feeney, 2019). Mégis körültekintést kíván ennek felvetése, hogyanja. ...
Cél: A Brennan, Wu és Loev (1998) által kidolgozott Hét Érintés Skála egy 51 tételes önkitöltős kérdőív, mely az érintés iránti attitűdöket hivatott mérni a felnőttkori romantikus kapcsolatok kontextusában. Jelen tanulmány célja a kérdőív pszichometriai mutatóinak bemutatása a magyar mintán nyert adatokon. Módszer: Keresztmetszeti kérdőíves vizsgálatban 373 főtől (50,4% férfi 49,6% nő, átlagéletkor 33 év (szórás=10,5 év), 63% párkapcsolatban, 22% házasságban, 13% élettársi kapcsolatban él, a kapcsolatban eltöltött idő átlagosan 70,89 hónap (szórás=93,8 hónap) nyertünk adatokat. A kitöltők a demográfiai kérdések és a kötődés felmérését szolgáló kérdőív mellett kitöltötték a Hét Érintés Skálát. Eredmények: Mintánkon a Hét Érintés Skála magyar változata a megerősítő faktor elemzés (JASP programban, Rosseel, 2012) eredményei alapján az eredeti faktorstruktúrát mutatta. Az érintési attitűdökben különbséget találtunk a kötődés típusok között.
... Touch is an essential and important form of nonverbal communication, which is considered central to the provision of comfort and an intentional way to convey affection, reassurance, and compassionate care in times of distress [11,32]. The nature of COVID-19 as a contagious infection mandates that health workers limit their direct contact with patients. ...
Introduction: The rapid spread and the severity of symptoms of COVID-19 led to an increasing number of critical cases that need to be admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) worldwide. Compassion is a principle of nursing practice and indicates the meaning of providing high-quality care in all units, especially in the ICU. It means that nurses know what is important to patients and when they should be there for them when it is needed. There is a paucity of literature from Saudi Arabia that explores how critical care nurses perceive compassionate care during COVID-19.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the lived experiences of critical care nurses providing compassionate care to COVID-19 patients at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional, descriptive phenomenological approach was utilized in this study. Data were collected from 13 ICU nurses through interviews. Collected data were transcribed and analyzed using Colaizzi’s data analysis method.
Results: Eleven out of the 13 ICU nurses hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and have more than five years of experience. Despite all the challenges surrounding the care for critically ill COVID-19 patients, nurses provide compassion in different ways to show personal interest to the patients. Data analysis revealed five themes: (1) contemporary meaning and competencies for compassionate nursing care, including communication and the inability to freely use touch; (2) physical symptoms, including discomfort, body aches and headaches, and sleep disturbances; (3) emotional turmoil, where three sub-themes emerged, including fear and anxiety, uncertainty, and isolation and loneliness; (4) role changing, including frequent guidelines change, additional roles and responsibilities, and altruism; (5) professionalism, including cultural facets of care, teamwork, and support.
Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major changes in nurses’ working environment and so their experience. The results of this study indicated that nurses working in the ICU experienced remarkable and massive physical, psychological, and emotional symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. The nurses extended the relationships to the patients’ families as they are at high risk of stress, anxiety, and depression. In addition, they were able to support them in dealing with the fear associated with the uncertainty of COVID-19. Also, results revealed that remote therapeutic relationships and psychotherapy can be credible and trustworthy alternatives to in-person care.
Conclusions: The results of this study indicated that ICU nurses provide compassionate care despite experiencing unprecedented and immense physical, psychological, and emotional symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recommendations: Further study is recommended using other research methodologies. It is also recommended to conduct the same study in different cities for better generalization.
... Além disso, pesquisas anteriores sugerem que uma maior frequência de toque está ligada a menores níveis de estresse diário e reatividade a situações estressoras, produzindo declínios significativos nos marcadores fisiológicos de estresse (Ditzen et al. 2008;Robinson et al. 2015, Holt-Lunstad et al. 2008. O estudo também demonstrou que o toque afetivo alivia o estresse objetivo e subjetivo durante as discussões de conflito entre casais, revelando o poder comunicativo: o toque não apenas viabiliza uma garantia de que alguém está disponível para fornecer ajuda durante um estressor individual, mas também garante segurança durante os estressores interpessoais. ...
This article presents definitions of what touch is and its implications for human well-being / satisfaction with life. Measurable variables were considered, such as the frequency of interpersonal touch, perceived stress (PSS-14), familism, level of proximity (IOS), feelings of rejection / void (JGSL) and level of satisfaction with the relationship (PRQC). The sample here consists of 291 people, both genders. The used questionnaires were applied to a Brazilian sample, electronically and in paper. The data obtained suggests a weak relationship between touch and well-being / satisfaction with life, possibly due to a ceiling effect. This contrasts with the same skin to skin study carried out in other countries; demonstrating that the cultural factor is of great relevance. In addition, there was a significant correlation indicating that the greater the feeling of rejection / emptiness the subject feels, the lower the well-being / satisfaction with life. Moreover, there is a correlation between the act of touch practiced by participants and their respective levels of satisfaction with the relationship, influencing their well-being.
... Various studies suggest that tactile massage or stimuli can trigger an increase in endogenous oxytocin in various body fluids, including blood, saliva, and urine (Crockford et al., 2013;Holt-Lunstad, Birmingham, & Light, 2008;La Leche League International, 2003;Light, Grewen, & Amico, 2005;Matthiesen, Ransjö-Arvidson, Nissen, & Uvnäs-Moberg, 2001). Maternal oxytocin will increase when a breastfed infant touches (hand massage) the breast. ...
Exclusive breastfeeding is essential for human infants' physical and mental development. However, breastfeeding problems can hamper this low quantity of breast milk. This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of Marmet breast massage for increasing the amount of breast milk in post-partum mothers. This is an experimental study design. The subjects of 100 breastfeeding mothers were randomly assigned to two groups; a control group (which received standard breast care massage) and the treatment group (who received the Marmet technique breast massage). Although there were no significant differences in the rate of change over time between the Marmet technique group and the control group (p-value>0.05), there was an increase in breastfeeding fluency scores in the Marmet technique group. The Marmet breast massage technique increased milk production in term infants at a rate comparable to usual breast massage. Therefore, this technique could be used to improve exclusive breastfeeding rates, including for mothers with nipple abnormalities.
Oxytocin (OXT) has been linked to sexual behavior across several studies. However, scant work exists that investigates OXT concentrations across a sexual encounter and researchers have yet to examine OXT concentrations during partnered sexual activity in the home environment. In the present study, a non-clinical sample of 49 mixed-sex (i.e., 49 women, 49 men) young adult romantic partners were invited to engage in sexual activity within their home environments. Participants collected their own saliva samples before and after sex, which were then assayed for OXT. Dyadic analyses identified unique OXT trajectories for women and men and helped clarify mixed findings in prior work. Although time was not a significant predictor, the pattern of means indicated that women’s OXT concentrations were highest at the start and end of the sexual episode, whereas men’s OXT concentrations increased from the start to the end of the sexual episode. The findings also identified synchronous changes between women and men’s OXT, but only within the post-sex time interval (immediately post-sex, 20 min post-sex, and 40 min post-sex). Additionally, OXT concentrations pre- and post-sex were not associated with orgasm in ways that prior work would suggest. Implications for work on OXT, biological synchrony, and methodological comparison are discussed.
Context
Increasing evidence supports the presence of oxytocin deficiency (OXT-D) in hypopituitarism and hypothalamic damage (HHD). Identifying an applicable and reliable test to diagnose an OXT-D is an unmet need. Melatonin might be a candidate for such a test as it regulates OXT release in animals.
Objective
To examine the effects of melatonin on OXT release in HHD compared to healthy controls (HC) and to describe psychopathology, sexual function and quality of life (QoL) and their associations with OXT.
Methods
This proof-of-concept study (NCT05319301) included 20 participants with HHD (11 females) and 20 HC (11 females). Blood samples were collected over 120 minutes to assess plasma OXT. Linear mixed-effects regression model was used to evaluate the change in OXT in response to melatonin in HHD compared to HC.
Results
Melatonin significantly increased OXT at T90 vs. T0 in HC compared to HHD group (difference 14.57 pg/mL 26% increase, 95%IC 1.90 to 27.23, p=0.02). HHD group had more depression symptoms, alexithymia, impaired sexual function and worse QoL compared to HC. The mean percentage change in OXT from T0 to T90 was negatively associated with depressive and alexithymia symptoms in HHD group and anxiety in both groups.
Conclusion
The reduced OXT response after melatonin in HHD, supports the existence of an impaired OXT response at least in a subset of patients with HHD. The associations between OXT changes and psychopathology suggest its role in mood and QoL. These findings support further investigation into melatonin's role as a diagnostic tool to address OXT-D.
The preschool period marks a crucial transition from a regulatory environment primarily governed by parents to children’s emerging capacity for autonomous control over their behavior and emotions. Affective touch, mediated by activation of C-tactile afferents may play a pivotal role in facilitating this transition by supporting physiological vagal activity, which eventually becomes integrated into processes of emotional and behavioral self-regulation. This study aims to investigate whether affective touch modulates heart rate variability (HRV), an index of vagal activity associated with autonomic regulation, among young children ( N = 68, age range 3–6 years) following exposure to neutral and emotional (crying scene) cartoons. The results unveiled a more pronounced increase of HRV during tactile stimulation in children experiencing affective touch compared with those exposed to nonaffective touch across both neutral and emotionally salient conditions. This suggests that affective touch may enhance autonomic vagal activity. Furthermore, temperamental traits were found to modulate this effect: children with lower scores of effortful control exhibited a greater increase in HRV during affective touch stimulation, indicating that affective touch may be particularly beneficial for children who struggle to regulate their behaviors and emotions in everyday activities.
This study explores barriers and facilitators to psychological safety during medical procedures among individuals diagnosed with chronic illnesses in childhood. Psychological safety in healthcare, detected via neuroception and the autonomic nervous system's responses to perceived safety or threat, is essential for the well-being and mental health of chronically ill patients, especially those with early diagnoses. Methods: Using polyvagal theory as a framework, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six participants (aged 20–64) who experienced chronic disease from a young age. The Neuroception of Psychological Safety Scale (NPSS) guided thematic exploration to understand participants' experiences. Thematic analysis identified key themes that reflect contributors and detractors to psychological safety during medical care. Results: Four primary themes were developed: (1) Knowledge empowerment through information and facilitated inquiry, (2) Holistic acknowledgment of psychological and social impacts, (3) The role of parental involvement in healthcare interactions, and (4) Need for an individualised, patient-centered approach. Participants expressed a need for psychological support integrated with their medical treatment and the importance of autonomy and clear communication. Conclusions: Psychological safety is central to medical experiences for chronically ill individuals and requires a patient-centered, trauma-informed approach. Emphasising tailored support, family involvement, and comprehensive mental health consideration can foster more effective care and enhance patients' long-term well-being.
Elméleti háttér: Az affektív érintés (azaz a szőrös bőrfelület lassú simogatása) humán hatásaival kapcsolatos pszichológiai és pszichofiziológiai tudásanyag az elmúlt két évtizedben megtöbbszöröződött. Cél: Narratív összefoglalónk célja e friss empirikus tudásanyag, valamint az azt magyarázó elméletek bemutatása. Eredmények: Az empirikus eredmények az affektív érintés akut fájdalomcsillapító és stresszcsökkentő hatását sugallják. Az érintést közvetítő receptorok aktivitása emellett hozzájárulhat a testséma fenntartásához. Jelentős egyéni különbségek mutatkoznak az affektív érintésre való fogé- konyságban (az érintés észlelt kellemességében), ezek mögött részben a kötődési stílus különbségei húzódhatnak meg. Következtetések: Evolúciós szempontból az affektív érintés a homeosztázis fenntar- tásának szociális eszközeként közelíthető meg, csecsemőkortól egészen felnőttkorig.
Sexuality and stoma treatment is a combination of two taboo topics. This makes communication between healthcare professionals and patients difficult and also between patients and their sexual partners. The knowledge and counselling competence of physicians and nursing personnel is relatively low which can lead to a reduced quality of life and poorer care of patients. Sexual functional disorders are very frequent and impairing in patients with a stoma . Helpful approaches to counselling of patients are firstly working with the three-dimensional model of sexuality (desire, reproduction and relationship) to highlight the importance of attachment as a function of sexuality rather than physical functions and performance. Secondly, working with emotions on the part of the therapist and the patient is meaningful. Initially, priority should be given to enable conversations about sexuality and to deal with bilateral feelings, such as shame, anxiety and disgust. Patients should be trained on how to deal with the stoma and the calm and competent counselling on sexual practices or safer sex are part of a good sexual medical treatment. Gender-sensitive and non-normative language is needed as well as a reflection on one’s own basic attitude. Further education and a professional network are also helpful.
In the past decade, there has been an increased focus on the role of physiology in interpersonal interactions, resulting in a surge of research exploring topics related to communication in close relationships. This growing line of research has explored topics such as affectionate communication, forgiveness, communication apprehension, and social support. Contributing to the increase in physiological research on communication processes is a greater recognition of the bidirectional nature of the associations among communication and the body. Researchers studied both the physiological outcomes of communication episodes (e.g., stress responses to conflict conversations) and the effects of physiology on the communication process (e.g., the influence of hormones on postsex communication). The Oxford Handbook of the Physiology of Interpersonal Communication offers a comprehensive review of the most prolific areas of research investigating both the physiological outcomes of interpersonal communication and the effects of physiology on interpersonal interactions. This edited volume serves as a resource for both researchers and students interested in investigating the mutual influence of physiology and communication in close relationships.
Trauma can shape the way an individual experiences the world and interacts with other people. Touch is a key
component of social interactions, but surprisingly little is known about how trauma exposure influences the
processing of social touch. In this review, we examine possible neurobiological pathways through which trauma
can influence touch processing and lead to touch aversion and avoidance in trauma-exposed individuals.
Emerging evidence indicates that trauma may affect sensory touch thresholds by modulating activity in the
primary sensory cortex and posterior insula. Disturbances in multisensory integration and oxytocin reactivity
combined with diminished reward-related and anxiolytic responses may induce a bias towards negative appraisal
of touch contexts. Furthermore, hippocampus deactivation during social touch may reflect a dissociative state.
These changes depend not only on the type and severity of the trauma but also on the features of the touch. We
hypothesise that disrupted touch processing may impair social interactions and confer elevated risk for future
stress-related disorders.
We propose a psychologically-informed concept of social health to join physical and mental components in a more comprehensive assessment of human health. Although there is an extensive literature on the importance of social relationships to health, a theoretical framework is needed to coalesce this work into a codified conceptualisation of social health, defined here as adequate quantity and quality of relationships in a particular context to meet an individual’s need for meaningful human connection. Informing this novel conceptualisation, we outline eight key propositions to guide future research and theory on social health, including five propositions focused on the conceptualisation of social health and three focused on its population patterning. The former five propositions include that social health is an outcome in its own right, that health interventions can have divergent effects on social versus physical and mental aspects of health, that social health has independent effects on quality of life, that it is a dynamic and contextual construct, and that it is embedded and encoded in the human body (and mind). The utility of the social health concept is further revealed in its significance for understanding and addressing population health concerns, such as health inequalities experienced by marginalised groups.
Romantic relationships are a key health determinant. Partners influence each other's psychological, behavioral, and biological trajectories in ways that can foster health and longevity or fuel disease risk and early mortality. A romantic relationship's health impact is considerable yet has historically garnered limited recognition from government agencies, healthcare providers, and policymakers. World‐wide public health organizations are increasingly attending to the importance of social connection and health and calling for action and intervention to improve social connection. In this review, we identify key areas to act on this call and advance research, practice, and policy on romantic relationships and health: dyadic effects in how partners influence each other's health; the socio‐historical context and systems of social stratification; and couple‐level prevention, intervention, and health‐promotion efforts. We connect these perspectives and offer next steps to further establish romantic relationships as a public health priority and target for policy and programming that foster social connection and health.
Háttér/Háttér és célkitűzések: Az „Életünk a korona-vírus járvány idején” kutatás adatait használva ebben a tanulmányban annak jártunk utána, hogy milyen érintési kultúrával jellemezhetők az általunk vizsgált házas, párjukkal együtt élő személyek; hogyan alakították érintési szokásaikat a járvány megfékezésére elrendelt korlátozások rövidebb és hosszabb távon; illetve hogyan alakult az érintésvágyuk és a kapcsolati jóllétben megélt változásaik, valamint ezek kapcsolata az általunk vizsgált időszakban. Módszer: Három érintés típus (bizalmas, baráti, hivatalos) észlelt mennyiségét mértük fel a COVID-19 előtt, a korlátozások alatt és aktuálisan, illetve azt, hogy a megkérdezett mennyire vágyik az adott érintésre. A kapcsolati jóllét mérésére a „családi és társas kapcsolatok mérése” részből a párral való kapcsolat szubjektív minősítéseit, illetve „a járvány hatására milyen változásokat észlelt Ön a saját életében? – a párkapcsolatában” kérdésre adott válaszokat használtuk. Főbb eredmények: Az általunk vizsgált házas, illetve párjukkal együtt élő, kapcsolatukkal 80,4%-ban elégedett 780 személy mintáján talált összefüggéseink szerint mindhárom időszakra vonatkozóan azt találtuk, hogy minél elégedettebb a megkérdezett személy a kapcsolatával, annál több bizalmas érintésben részesül (illetve fordítva), valamint a kapcsolattal való elégedettségnek a bizalmas érintés mennyisége szignifikáns prediktora. Az általunk vizsgált három időszakra vonatkozóan azt találtuk, hogy a COVID-19 a kapcsolatukkal különböző mértékben elégedett valamennyi csoport kapcsolati minőségére kedvezőtlenül hatott, és az érintés mennyiség visszaállás a kapcsolatával elégedetlen csoportnál kevéssé történt meg. A járvány következtében megélt párkapcsolati változások és az érintés deficit enyhe, de szignifikáns összefüggést mutatott. Azok, akik magasabb érintési deficitet jeleznek a párkapcsolati változásokat is kedvezőtlenebbként ítélték meg. Következtetések: A COVID-19 világjárvány pontos hatásaival a párok párkapcsolati működésére és stabilitására még most ismerkedünk. Jelen vizsgálat keretében egy lehetséges védő tényező – érintési szokások, annak változásai – szerepét vizsgáltuk. Eredményeink jelzik, hogy érdemben lehet foglalkozni az affektív érintéssel ahhoz, hogy enyhítsük a válság kapcsolatokra gyakorolt lehetséges káros hatásait, és kulcsfontosságú irányokat kínálhatunk a jövőbeli kutatások számára.
Háttér: Számos kutatás támasztja alá, hogy az affektív érintés a pozitív kapcsolatok kontextusában a fizikai egészséghez és jólléthez kapcsolódik. Ezeket a tanulmányokat azonban nem a globális társadalmi távolságtartási intézkedések idején végezték. A COVID-19 megfékezésére világszerte elrendelt társadalmi távolságtartás – így az érintés és érintés hiánya kapcsán pedig csak annak pszichológiai és kapcsolati jólléttel való összefüggéseire irányultak kutatások. Jelen tanulmány kereteiben ezt a hiányzó területet vettük górcső alá. Cél: Az intézetben folyó „Életünk a koronavírus járvány idején” kutatásból az érintés és a fizikai egészség és jóllét kapcsolatára vonatkozó eredményeinket mutatjuk be. Módszer: Online keresztmetszeti vizsgálat keretében megközelítően reprezentatív mintán 1799 főtől a demográfiai adatok mellett, a társas érintés különböző formái, a fizikai egészség összevont mutatói és az egészségtudatosság közti összefüggéseket vizsgáltuk. Főbb eredmények: Összességében a válaszadók retrospektív adataiból az derül ki, hogy a COVID-19 előtti, a lezárások alatti és a korlátozások feloldása utáni időszakban valamennyi általunk vizsgált érintési típus esetében – kapott bizalmi, baráti és hivatalos érintések – jelentős változásokat észleltek a megkérdezettek azok mennyiségében. Azt találtuk, hogy a különböző típusú társas érintések a világjárvány minden szakaszában enyhe pozitív összefüggéseket mutattak a szubjektív egészségi állapottal, a fizikai jólléttel és az alvásminőséggel, negatívat a fizikai tünetekkel. A különböző érintési típusok esetében ezek az összefüggések eltérő erősségűek, erősebb együttjárásokat találtunk a bizalmas és baráti érintések esetében. Elvárásainkkal ellentétben nem találtunk szignifikáns összefüggéseket az érintés és az egészségtudatosság általunk vizsgált mutatói között. Eredményeink tovább erősítik a társadalmi távolságtartás egyénekre gyakorolt hatásának megértését.
The current study examined associations between marital quality, loneliness, and sleep within a nationally representative sample of older adults who participated in Wave 2 of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP). Participants ( N = 559) had a spouse or partner and completed a novel sleep module that included subjective (i.e., insomnia symptoms) and objective (i.e., wake after sleep onset;WASO) markers of sleep. Upon controlling for demographics and markers of mental and physical health, a distinct pattern of findings emerged for subjective versus objective markers of sleep. Regarding subjective sleep, older adults who experienced greater loneliness reported more insomnia symptoms, but only when spousal emotional support was low–moderate. Regarding objective sleep, older adults who reported more affectionate touch from their spouse experienced less WASO. Collectively, these findings identify specific aspects of marital quality that may have unique implications for partnered older adults’ subjective and objective sleep quality.
Why do people fall in love? Does passion fade with time? What makes for a happy, healthy relationship? This introduction to relationship science follows the lifecycle of a relationship – from attraction and initiation, to the hard work of relationship maintenance, to dissolution and ways to strengthen a relationship. Designed for advanced undergraduates studying psychology, communication or family studies, this textbook presents a fresh, diversity-infused approach to relationship science. It includes real-world examples and critical-thinking questions, callout boxes that challenge students to make connections, and researcher interviews that showcase the many career paths of relationship scientists. Article Spotlights reveal cutting-edge methods, while Diversity and Inclusion boxes celebrate the variety found in human love and connection. Throughout the book, students see the application of theory and come to recognize universal themes in relationships as well as the nuances of many findings. Instructors can access lecture slides, an instructor manual, and test banks.
Background: Social touch constitutes a key component of human social relationships although in some conditions with social dysfunction, such as autism, it can be perceived as unpleasant. We have previously shown that intranasal administration of oxytocin facilitates the pleasantness of social touch and activation of brain reward and social processing regions, although it is unclear if it influences responses to gentle stroking touch mediated by cutaneous C-touch fibers or pressure touch mediated by other types of fibers. Additionally, it is unclear whether endogenous oxytocin acts via direct entry into the brain or by increased peripheral blood concentrations.
Methods: In a randomized controlled design, we compared effects of intranasal (direct entry into the brain and increased peripheral concentrations) and oral (only peripheral increases) oxytocin on behavioral and neural responses to social touch targeting C-touch (gentle-stroking) or other (medium pressure without stroking) cutaneous receptors.
Results: Although both types of touch were perceived as pleasant, intranasal and oral oxytocin equivalently enhanced pleasantness ratings and responses of reward, orbitofrontal cortex, and social processing, superior temporal sulcus, regions only to gentle-stroking not medium pressure touch. Furthermore, increased blood oxytocin concentrations predicted the pleasantness of gentle stroking touch. The specificity of neural effects of oxytocin on C-touch targeted gentle stroking touch were confirmed by time-course extraction and classification analysis.
Conclusions: Increased peripheral concentrations of oxytocin primarily modulate its behavioral and neural responses to gentle social touch mediated by C-touch fibers. Findings have potential implications for using oxytocin therapeutically in conditions where social touch is unpleasant.
Funding: Key Technological Projects of Guangdong Province grant 2018B030335001.
Clinical trial number: NCT05265806.
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) enhances maternal behavior and decreases blood pressure (BP) and stress responses in animals. Thus, the relationship of OT responsivity to BP in 14 breast- and 11 bottle-feeding mothers of infants was examined. Laboratory BP was assessed during baseline, speech preparation, active speech, and recovery on 2 days, 1 in which baseline and speech were separated by 10 min of baby holding and the other by no baby contact. Systolic BP reactivity to speech was lower after baby contact. Plasma OT change from baseline to speech after baby contact defined OT increase, minimal OT change, and OT decrease groups. OT increase mothers were primarily breast-feeders, and they had lower BP throughout both stress sessions and after baby feeding at home than OT decrease mothers, who also had greater BP reactivity to preparation and recovery. These results suggest that oxytocin has antistress and BP-lowering effects in humans.
Ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) may be an independent predictor of cardiovascular endpoints, but little is known about its psychosocial determinants. The acute effects of psychosocial processes on cardiovascular activity during daily life were examined by random-effects regression. Healthy adults (N = 120) were monitored over a 6-day period with ABP monitors and computer-assisted self-report assessments. Task strain, social conflict, and emotional activation were rated following each ABP measurement, as were activity, posture, and other covariates. Results show that blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were elevated during periods of emotional activation (high negative affect or high arousal). Diastolic BP was lower during periods involving high decisional control, and HR was lower during high-control, low-demand activities. There were substantial individual differences in the effects of psychosocial influences on ambulatory cardiovascular activity. Psychological factors are reliable determinants of ABP, which may account in part for the unique predictive value of ABP.
Although it is typically presumed that heterosexual individuals only fall in love with other-gender partners and gay-lesbian individuals only fall in love with same-gender partners, this is not always so. The author develops a biobehavioral model of love and desire to explain why. The model specifies that (a) the evolved processes underlying sexual desire and affectional bonding are functionally independent; (b) the processes underlying affectional bonding are not intrinsically oriented toward other-gender or same-gender partners; (c) the biobehavioral links between love and desire are bidirectional, particularly among women. These claims are supported by social-psychological, historical, and cross-cultural research on human love and sexuality as well as by evidence regarding the evolved biobehavioral mechanisms underlying mammalian mating and social bonding.
This investigation was designed to evaluate the production rates and concentrations of salivary a-amylase as a measure of adrenergic activity under several conditions of stress in human subjects. Saliva and blood samples were simultaneously collected from men at four 15 min intervals both before and after regimens for exercise, a written examination, or a rest period. The regressions of salivary a-amylase on plasma norepinephrine (NE) concentrations were significant for both exercise (P < 0–001) and examination (P < 0.01) protocols. Aerobic exercise induced a 3-fold mean increase in a-amylase; both NE and epinephrine (EP) increased ≅5-fold over control levels. Levels of a-amylase and NE returned to control levels within 30.45 min after exercise, but EP remained elevated by ≅2-fold during the remaining hour of observation. During the written examination, α-amylase and NE, but not EP, concentrations increased in parallel. In further studies the effects of exercise and exposure to heat and cold on the relationship of salivary a-amylase to heart rate and body temperature were investigated. Greater intensities of exercise were associated with greater increases in a-amylase concentrations. During heat exposure in a sauna (66 ° C for 40 min) amylase, heart rate and body temperature all increased progressively. However, during exposure to cold (4 ° C for 40 min) amylase increased rapidly, though heart rate and body temperature remained unchanged. Salivary Cortisol concentrations were unchanged during exposure to heat or cold. We conclude that salivary a-amylase concentrations are predictive of plasma catecholamine levels, particularly NE, under a variety of stressful conditions, and may be a more direct and simple end point of catecholamine activity than are changes in heart rate.
This paper outlines two pathways through which social support can influence the prevention or progression of cardiovascular disease: health behaviors and neuroendocrine mechanisms. Its primary focus is on neuroendocrine pathways, reviewing data which suggest that lack of social support is etiologically related to coronary artery lesion development through two mechanisms: sympathetic-adrenomedullary influences on platelet function, heart rate and blood pressure in the initial endothelial injury; and pituitary-adrenal cortical factors involved in smooth muscle cell proliferation during progression of the lesion after injury has taken place. It hypothesizes that the buffering effect of social support on the cardiovascular system is mediated primarily through mechanisms associated with the release of oxytocin.
Pharmacological studies in humans and animals suggest the existence of vascular endothelial vasopressin (AVP)/oxytocin (OT) receptors that mediate a vasodilatory effect. However, the nature of the receptor subtype(s) involved in this vasodilatory response remains controversial, and its coupled intracellular pathways are unknown. Thus, we set out to determine the type and signaling pathways of the AVP/OT receptor(s) expressed in human vascular endothelial cells (ECs).
Saturation binding experiments with purified membranes of primary cultures of ECs from human umbilical vein (HUVEC), aorta (HAEC), and pulmonary artery (HPAEC) and [3H]AVP or[ 3H]OT revealed the existence of specific binding sites with a greater affinity for OT than AVP (Kd = 1.75 vs. 16.58 nm). Competition binding experiments in intact HUVECs (ECV304 cell line) with the AVP antagonist[ 125I]4-hydroxyphenacetyl-d-Tyr(Me)-Phe-Gln-Asn-Arg-Pro-Arg-NH2 or the OT antagonist[ 125I]d(CH2)5[O-Me-Tyr-Thr-Orn-Tyr-NH2]vasotocin, and various AVP/OT analogs confirmed the existence of a single class of surface receptors of the classical OT subtype.
RT-PCR experiments with total RNA extracted from HUVEC, HAEC, and HPAEC and specific primers for the human V1 vascular, V2 renal, V3 pituitary, and OT receptors amplified the OT receptor sequence only. No new receptor subtype could be amplified when using degenerate primers. DNA sequencing of the coding region of the human EC OT receptor revealed a nucleotide sequence 100% homologous to that of the uterine OT receptor reported previously.
Stimulation of ECs by OT produced mobilization of intracellular calcium and the release of nitric oxide that was prevented by chelation of extra- and intracellular calcium. No stimulation of cAMP or PG production was noted. Finally, OT stimulation of ECs led to a calcium- and protein kinase C-dependent cellular proliferation response.
Thus, human vascular ECs express OT receptors that are structurally identical to the uterine and mammary OT receptors. These endothelial OT receptors produce a calcium-dependent vasodilatory response via stimulation of the nitric oxide pathway and have a trophic action.
Produced and released by the heart, oxytocin (OT) acts on its cardiac receptors to decrease the cardiac rate and force of contraction. We hypothesized that it might also be produced in the vasculature and regulate vascular tone. Consequently, we prepared acid extracts of the pulmonary artery and vena cava of female rats. OT concentrations in dog and sheep aortae were equivalent to those of rat aorta (2745 +/- 180 pg/mg protein), indicating that it is present in the vasculature of several mammalian species. Reverse-phase HPLC of aorta and vena cava extracts revealed a single peak corresponding to the amidated OT nonapeptide. Reverse-transcribed PCR confirmed OT synthesis in these tissues. Using the selective OT receptor ligand compound VI, we detected a high number of OT-binding sites in the rat vena cava and aorta. Furthermore, OT receptor (OTR) mRNA was found in the vena cava, pulmonary vein, and pulmonary artery with lower levels in the aorta, suggesting vessel-specific OTR distribution. The abundance of OTR mRNA in the vena cava and pulmonary vein was associated with high atrial natriuretic peptide mRNA. In addition, we have demonstrated that diethylstilbestrol treatment of immature female rats increased OT significantly in the vena cava but not in the aorta and augmented OTR mRNA in both the aorta (4-fold) and vena cava (2-fold), implying regulation by estrogen. Altogether, these data suggest that the vasculature contains an intrinsic OT system, which may be involved in the regulation of vascular tone as well as vascular regrowth and remodeling.
The effects of dyadic satisfaction and conflict have not been well defined in the hemodialysis (HD) population. The aim of this study was to determine whether the perception of decreased dyadic satisfaction was associated with mortality in patients treated with HD, and if so, whether there were different relationships between risk factors, and differential outcomes in men and women. A total of 174 HD patients, primarily African-Americans, involved in dyadic relationships for more than 6 mo had indices of dyadic satisfaction, depression, perception of illness effects, social support, behavioral compliance with the dialysis prescription, and plasma interleukin-1 (IL-1) and beta-endorphin levels measured. Cox proportional hazards models assessed relative mortality risks. Patients' dyadic satisfaction scores correlated with beta-endorphin levels. There was no correlation of IL-1 or beta-endorphin with any psychosocial or behavioral compliance measure in the group as a whole. Correlations between psychosocial, medical, and neuroimmunologic variables were different in men and women. For women, dyadic satisfaction correlated with beta-endorphin levels, depression, and perception of illness. Women with higher dyadic satisfaction and decreased dyadic conflict were at decreased mortality risk, but dyadic adjustment indices were unassociated with differential survival in the larger group of men. Correlations between neuroendocrine and immune markers are different in African-American male and female HD patients. Greater dyadic satisfaction and lower dyadic conflict are independently associated with decreased mortality in female African-American HD patients, of the same order of magnitude as medical risk factors. Such effects may be attributable to a relationship between dyadic satisfaction and conflict and health-related behaviors, or through an effect on neuroendocrine or immunologic status.
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) enhances maternal behavior and decreases blood pressure (BP) and stress responses in animals. Thus, the relationship of OT responsivity to BP in 14 breast- and 11 bottle-feeding mothers of infants was examined. Laboratory BP was assessed during baseline, speech preparation, active speech, and recovery on 2 days, 1 in which baseline and speech were separated by 10 min of baby holding and the other by no baby contact. Systolic BP reactivity to speech was lower after baby contact. Plasma OT change from baseline to speech after baby contact defined OT increase, minimal OT change, and OT decrease groups. OT increase mothers were primarily breast-feeders, and they had lower BP throughout both stress sessions and after baby feeding at home than OT decrease mothers, who also had greater BP reactivity to preparation and recovery. These results suggest that oxytocin has antistress and BP-lowering effects in humans.
This review focuses on the pathway leading from the marital relationship to physical health. Evidence from 64 articles published in the past decade, particularly marital interaction studies, suggests that marital functioning is consequential for health; negative dimensions of marital functioning have indirect influences on health outcomes through depression and health habits, and direct influences on cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, neurosensory, and other physiological mechanisms. Moreover, individual difference variables such as trait hostility augment the impact of marital processes on biological systems. Emerging themes in the past decade include the importance of differentiating positive and negative dimensions of marital functioning, the explanatory power of behavioral data, and gender differences in the pathways from the marital relationship to physiological functioning. Contemporary models of gender that emphasize self-processes, traits, and roles furnish alternative perspectives on the differential costs and benefits of marriage for men's and women's health.
Although it is typically presumed that heterosexual individuals only fall in love with other-gender partners and gay-lesbian individuals only fall in love with same-gender partners, this is not always so. The author develops a biobehavioral model of love and desire to explain why. The model specifies that (a) the evolved processes underlying sexual desire and affectional bonding are functionally independent; (b) the processes underlying affectional bonding are not intrinsically oriented toward other-gender or same-gender partners: (c) the biobehavioral links between love and desire are bidirectional, particularly among women. These claims are supported by social-psychological, historical, and cross-cultural research on human love and sexuality as well as by evidence regarding the evolved biobehavioral mechanisms underlying mammalian mating and social bonding.
The presence of social support has been associated with decreased stress responsiveness. Recent animal studies suggest that the neuropeptide oxytocin is implicated both in prosocial behavior and in the central nervous control of neuroendocrine responses to stress. This study was designed to determine the effects of social support and oxytocin on cortisol, mood, and anxiety responses to psychosocial stress in humans.
In a placebo-controlled, double-blind study, 37 healthy men were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test. All participants were randomly assigned to receive intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) or placebo 50 min before stress, and either social support from their best friend during the preparation period or no social support.
Salivary free cortisol levels were suppressed by social support in response to stress. Comparisons of pre- and poststress anxiety levels revealed an anxiolytic effect of oxytocin. More importantly, the combination of oxytocin and social support exhibited the lowest cortisol concentrations as well as increased calmness and decreased anxiety during stress.
Oxytocin seems to enhance the buffering effect of social support on stress responsiveness. These results concur with data from animal research suggesting an important role of oxytocin as an underlying biological mechanism for stress-protective effects of positive social interactions.
Massage therapy (MT) is an ancient form of treatment that is now gaining popularity as part of the complementary and alternative medical therapy movement. A meta-analysis was conducted of studies that used random assignment to test the effectiveness of MT. Mean effect sizes were calculated from 37 studies for 9 dependent variables. Single applications of MT reduced state anxiety, blood pressure, and heart rate but not negative mood, immediate assessment of pain, and cortisol level. Multiple applications reduced delayed assessment of pain. Reductions of trait anxiety and depression were MT's largest effects, with a course of treatment providing benefits similar in magnitude to those of psychotherapy. No moderators were statistically significant, though continued testing is needed. The limitations of a medical model of MT are discussed, and it is proposed that new MT theories and research use a psychotherapy perspective.
To assess the role of depression and lack of social support before myocardial infarction (MI) in determining outcome in a large representative sample of patients admitted after MI in the UK.
Prospective cohort design.
1034 consecutive patients were screened 3-4 days after MI.
Mortality and further cardiac events over one year after an MI.
At 12 months' follow up mortality and further cardiac events were assessed in 583 of 654 eligible patients (90% response); 140 of 589 for whom baseline data were collected (23.8%) were depressed before their MI. Patients who were depressed before their MI were not more likely to die (mortality 5.2% v 5.0% of non-depressed patients) or suffer further cardiac events (cardiac events rate 20.7% v 20.3% of non-depressed patients). After controlling for demographic factors and severity of MI, the absence of a close confidant predicted further cardiac events (hazard ratio 0.57, p = 0.022).
Lack of a close confidant but not depression before MI was associated with adverse outcome after MI in this sample. This association may be mediated by unhealthy behaviours and lack of compliance with medical recommendations, but it is also compatible with difficulties in early life leading to heart disease.
In a highly select group of stable hypertensive patients, we have assessed the strength of association between various blood pressure measurements (24 h average automated ambulatory blood pressure, 4 h automated ambulatory morning average blood pressure, multiple office visit average blood pressure, and a single office visit average blood pressure) and various echocardiographic indices of hypertensive cardiac target organ damage (left atrial diameter, left ventricular end diastolic diameter, posterior wall thickness, combined wall thickness, relative wall thickness, left ventricular mass and mass index, and combined wall thickness/left ventricular diastolic diameter ratio). These data demonstrated that a single 24 h average diastolic blood pressure by automatic noninvasive ambulatory monitoring was a significantly better predictor of echocardiographic posterior wall thickness, combined wall thickness or relative wall thickness than the multiple office or single office average diastolic blood pressure. Also there were highly significant correlations between both 24 h average systolic and diastolic blood pressure and these echocardiographic parameters (in descending order of correlation coefficient): combined wall thickness, posterior wall thickness, combined wall thickness/left ventricular diastolic diameter, left ventricular mass index, relative wall thickness, and left ventricular mass. Left ventricular end diastolic dimension did not linearly correlate with any systolic or diastolic blood pressure measurement. Left atrial dimension demonstrated only a significant association with 24 h average diastolic blood pressure. Single office average blood pressure did not linearly correlate with any echocardiographic parameter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
SAS PROC MIXED is a flexible program suitable for fitting multilevel models, hierarchical linear models, and individual growth models. Its position as an integrated program within the SAS statistical package makes it an ideal choice for empirical researchers and applied statisticians seeking to do data reduction, management, and analysis within a single statistical package. Because the program was developed from the perspective of a "mixed" statistical model with both random and fixed effects, its syntax and programming logic may appear unfamiliar to users in education and the social and behavioral sciences who tend to express these models as multilevel or hierarchical models. The purpose of this paper is to help users familiar with fitting multilevel models using other statistical packages (e.g., HLM, MLwiN, MIXREG) add SAS PROC MIXED to their array of analytic options. The paper is written as a step-by-step tutorial that shows how to fit the two most common multilevel models: (a) school effects models, designed for data on individuals nested within naturally occurring hierarchies (e.g., students within classes); and (b) individual growth models, designed for exploring longitudinal data (on individuals) over time. The conclusion discusses how these ideas can be extended straighforwardly to the case of three level models. An appendix presents general strategies for working with multilevel data in SAS and for creating data sets at several levels.
We reviewed the course of 1,076 patients with essential hypertension whose condition had been initially evaluated with both ambulatory BP (ABP) and office BP (OBP) measurements. During the period of follow-up (mean, five years), fatal cardiovascular events occurred in 75 patients, and nonfatal events occurred in 153. Each patient was classified according to the difference between the mean observed ABP at entry and that predicted from the mean OBP at entry by means of an equation for the linear regression of ABP on OBP. Life-table analyses demonstrated a significantly greater estimated cumulative ten-year incidence of both fatal and nonfatal events among patients with higher than predicted ABPs than among those with lower than predicted ABPs. Because OBPs were comparable in the two groups, we conclude that ABP was an important determinant of clinical outcome.(JAMA 1983;249:2792-2798)
Objective: To assess the role of depression and lack of social support before myocardial infarction (MI) in determining outcome in a large representative sample of patients admitted after MI in the UK. Design: Prospective cohort design. Patients: 1034 consecutive patients were screened 3–4 days after MI. Main outcome measures: Mortality and further cardiac events over one year after an MI. Results: At 12 months’ follow up mortality and further cardiac events were assessed in 583 of 654 eligible patients (90% response); 140 of 589 for whom baseline data were collected (23.8%) were depressed before their MI. Patients who were depressed before their MI were not more likely to die (mortality 5.2% v 5.0% of non-depressed patients) or suffer further cardiac events (cardiac events rate 20.7% v 20.3% of non-depressed patients). After controlling for demographic factors and severity of MI, the absence of a close confidant predicted further cardiac events (hazard ratio 0.57, p = 0.022). Conclusion: Lack of a close confidant but not depression before MI was associated with adverse outcome after MI in this sample. This association may be mediated by unhealthy behaviours and lack of compliance with medical recommendations, but it is also compatible with difficulties in early life leading to heart disease.
SAS PROC MIXED is a flexible program suitable for fitting multilevel models, hierarchical linear models, and individual growth models. Its position as an integrated program within the SAS statistical package makes it an ideal choice for empirical researchers and applied statisticians seeking to do data reduction, management, and analysis within a single statistical package. Because the program was developed from the perspective of a "mixed" statistical model with both random and fixed effects, its syntax and programming logic may appear unfamiliar to users in education and the social and behavioral sciences who tend to express these models as multilevel or hierarchical models. The purpose of this paper is to help users familiar with fitting multilevel models using other statistical packages (e.g., HLM, MLwiN, MIXREG) add SAS PROC MIXED to their array of analytic options. The paper is written as a step-by-step tutorial that shows how to fit the two most common multilevel models: (a) school effects models, designed for data on individuals nested within naturally occurring hierarchies (e.g., students within classes); and (b) individual growth models, designed for exploring longitudinal data (on individuals) over time. The conclusion discusses how these ideas can be extended straighforwardly to the case of three level models. An appendix presents general strategies for working with multilevel data in SAS and for creating data sets at several levels.
This paper outlines two pathways through which social support can influence the prevention or progression of cardiovascular disease: health behaviors and neuroendocrine mechanisms. Its primary focus is on neuroendocrine pathways, reviewing data which suggest that lack of social support is etiologically related to coronary artery lesion development through two mechanisms: sympathetic-adrenomedullary influences on platelet function, heart rate and blood pressure in the initial endothelial injury; and pituitary-adrenal cortical factors involved in smooth muscle cell proliferation during progression of the lesion after injury has taken place. It hypothesizes that the buffering effect of social support on the cardiovascular system is mediated primarily through mechanisms associated with the release of oxytocin.
Systemic subchronic oxytocin treatment significantly and substantially increased the Bmax values of the α2 agonist [3H]UK14.304 binding sites in the hypothalamus, the amygdala and the paraventricular thalamic nucleus of the rat as shown by quantitative receptor autoradiography. These results suggest that long-term modulation of autonomic and neuroendocrine functions and emotional behaviours elicited by brain oxytocin may involve enhancement of central α2-adrenoceptor function.
Abstract:Adolescent friendships containing the emotional intensity of romantic relationships, yet lacking sexual activity, have been documented in numerous cultures and historical periods. This research explores these relationships among contemporary young sexual-minority women. Phone interviews with 80 lesbian, bisexual, and unlabeled women between 18 and 25 years of age (M = 21.8, SD = 2.1) assessed characteristics of their closest adolescent friendships. Cluster analysis differentiated conventional from passionate friendships, the latter containing more characteristics of romantic relationships. Same-sex friendships were not more likely than cross-sex friendships to be classified as passionate, and passionate friendships were not disproportionately likely to involve sexual attraction. Same-sex passionate friendships were initiated at earlier ages than same-sex conventional friendships, and those that developed prior to a young woman's first same-sex sexual contact were less likely t journal article
The accuracy of 4 different ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitors was assessed by comparing them to simultaneous intraarterial BP (contralateral brachial artery) during rest, isometric and dynamic (bicycle) exercise in 48 hypertensive patients undergoing invasive hemodynamic evaluation. The differences between the intraarterially determined BP and values obtained by the various monitors were then compared to differences between BP measured directly and by 2 clinicians using a standard mercury column in 10 additional hypertensive patients. The monitors studied were the Accutracker II (auscultatory with mandatory electrocardiographic gating), Colin ABPM 630 (auscultatory or oscillometric), Del Mar Pressurometer IV (auscultatory with optional electrocardiographic gating) and SpaceLabs 90202 (oscillometric). During rest, the differences between intraarterially and clinician-determined systolic and diastolic BP were 4 +/- 8 and -4 +/- 6 mm Hg, respectively. The Accutracker II and Colin ABPM 630 using the auscultatory method showed less disparity and closer limits of agreement (2 standard deviations of the mean difference) with intraarterial BP than the clinicians' measurements, whereas the other units showed similar or greater limits of agreement. During both isometric and dynamic exercise, mean BP differences between intraarterial and clinician determinations were similar to those at rest but the limits of agreement increased. The limits of agreement between intraarterial and monitor-derived BP also increased during exercise compared to differences observed at rest. The Accutracker II and Colin ABPM 630 using the auscultatory method had limits of agreement with intraarterial BP that were either similar to or less than the clinician's, whereas the Colin monitor using the oscillometric method and the Del Mar Pressurometer IV showed greater disparity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The value of ambulatory systolic blood pressure as a predictor of the development of cardiovascular complications was investigated in a sample of 761 hypertensive patients who had undergone ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and who were followed for an average of 5.5 years. Of the 695 patients without prior cardiovascular events at entry into the study, 11% subsequently experienced an event during the follow-up period (up to 10 years) compared to 48% of the 102 patients with a prior cardiovascular event. For each patient, a 'predicted' ambulatory systolic blood pressure was calculated, using the patient's office systolic blood pressure and the equation derived from regressing ambulatory on office blood pressure for the entire sample. By subtracting the predicted from the observed ambulatory pressure, a 'residual' ambulatory systolic blood pressure was derived for each patient, as a measure of that portion of the ambulatory pressure that could not be predicted from the office pressure. We used a Cox proportional hazards model to analyse the independent effect of each of the following patient characteristics at entry on the occurrence of subsequent cardiovascular events: sex, age, ECG evidence of left ventricular hypertrophy, hypertensive retinopathy, ambulatory systolic blood pressure, office systolic blood pressure, residual ambulatory systolic blood pressure and subsequent drug therapy. In both groups, with and without a prior cardiovascular event, women, younger patients and those with lower residual ambulatory systolic blood pressure tended to have longer periods of survival without new cardiovascular events. In the group without prior cardiovascular events, a lower office systolic blood pressure and the absence of advanced ECG evidence of left ventricular hypertrophy were also independently predictive of longer event-free survival.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure levels generated by a new noninvasive ambulatory monitor, the Accutracker 102, were compared in the laboratory with intra-arterial pressure levels in 12 normotensive men, and with stethoscopic auscultatory determinations in 27 normotensive and hypertensive men and women over a wide range of within-subject pressure variations. In 11 subjects, its performance was also compared with another ambulatory monitor, the Spacelabs Model 5200. Highly positive correlations with both the intra-arterial (median r=+.90 for SBP, +.92 for DBP) and the stethoscopic standards (median r=+.93 for SBP, +.88 for DBP) were obtained using Accutracker's automatic readings (digital readout), while slightly higher correlations were obtained with hand-scoring of recorded data. The Spacelabs BP monitor also yielded readings that were highly correlated with stethoscopic readings (median r=+.83 for SBP, +.77 for DBP), although in 3 of the 11 subjects the Accutracker correlations were substantially higher than the Spacelabs correlations. Despite their generally good tracking of changes in pressure, both ambulatory monitors yielded absolute values in many subjects that differed by 5 mmHg or more from stethoscopic levels. The Accutracker's SBP levels were consistently too high and its DBP levels were occasionally too low, while Spacelabs' SBP and DBP values were too high and too low with equal frequency. However, mean deviation scores for each patient calculated from 5 concurrent ambulatory monitor and stethoscopic readings were shown to yield relatively stable correction factors for use when comparison with clinical standards is desired.
This paper presents a statistical analysis of treatment effects in 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure recordings. The statistical models account for circadian rhythms, subject effects, and the effects of treatment with drugs or relaxation therapy. In view of the heterogeneity of the subjects, we fit a separate linear model to the data of each subject, use robust statistical procedures to estimate the parameters of the linear models, and trim the data on a subject by subject basis. We use a meta-analytical method to combine the results of all subjects in the study.
PURPOSE: To examine the effect of marital status (married, widowed, divorced/separated, and never-married) on mortality in a cohort of 281,460 men and women, ages 45 years and older, of black and white races, who were part of the National Longitudinal Mortality Study (NLMS).METHODS: Major findings are based on assessments of estimated relative risk (RR) from Cox proportional hazards models. Duration of bereavement for the widowed is also estimated using the Cox model.RESULTS: For persons aged 45–64, each of the non-married groups generally showed statistically significant increased risk compared to their married counterparts (RR for white males, 1.24–1.39; white females, 1.46–1.49; black males, 1.27–1.57; and black females, 1.10–1.36). Older age groups tended to have smaller RRs than their younger counterparts. Elevated risk for non-married females was comparable to that of non-married males. For cardiovascular disease mortality, widowed and never-married white males ages 45–64 showed statistically significant increased RRs of 1.25 and 1.32, respectively, whereas each non-married group of white females showed statistically significant increased RRs from 1.50 to 1.60. RRs for causes other than cardiovascular diseases or cancers were high (for white males ages 45–64: widowed, 1.85; divorced/separated, 2.15; and never-married, 1.48). The importance of labor force status in determining the elevated risk of non-married males compared to non-married females by race is shown.CONCLUSIONS: Each of the non-married categories show elevated RR of death compared to married persons, and these effects continue to be strong after adjustment for other socioeconomic factors.
The relationship of the degree of severity of cardiovascular complications, graded according to ocular funduscopic, electrocardiographic, and roentgenographic (heart size) criteria to arterial blood pressure levels was investigated in 124 patients with essential hypertension. Blood pressure levels were determined both by casual measurements and by means of a portable semiautomatic blood pressure recorder worn during the patient's normal daily activities.
Statistical analysis of the data showed a significant correlation between the overall severity of hypertensive complications and the average casual systolic and diastolic blood pressures; the correlation with the corresponding pressure readings obtained with the portable recorder, however, was significantly higher. The relationship between the average pressures obtained with the portable recorder and the severity of complications was quantitative: the higher the mean systolic and diastolic pressures, the greater the average degree of severity.
No correlation was found between severity of complications and variability of the systolic or diastolic pressures recorded by the patient or between severity and duration of hypertension as best determined from the medical history. A low but significant correlation was found with age.
Few patients with hypertensive complications had mean recorder blood pressure levels below 120/80 mm Hg. On the other hand, all the patients whose mean recorder pressures exceeded 160/100 mm Hg had some degree of hypertensive complications. Attempts to predict overall severity of hypertensive complications in individual cases from the patients' mean recorder blood pressure levels and age demonstrated that patients in class II (moderate severity) could be distinguished from those in class 0 (no hypertensive complications) with great accuracy.
The results of the study support the view that the severity of cardiovascular complications essential hypertension is mainly determined by the average level of the arterial blood pressure. It is suggested that portable recorder measurements should aid in selecting patients likely to benefit from antihypertensive therapy and in guiding such treatment.
We reviewed the course of 1,076 patients with essential hypertension whose condition had been initially evaluated with both ambulatory BP (ABP) and office BP (OBP) measurements. During the period of follow-up (mean, five years), fatal cardiovascular events occurred in 75 patients, and nonfatal events occurred in 153. Each patient was classified according to the difference between the mean observed ABP at entry and that predicted from the mean OBP at entry by means of an equation for the linear regression of ABP on OBP. Life-table analyses demonstrated a significantly greater estimated cumulative ten-year incidence of both fatal and nonfatal events among patients with higher than predicted ABPs than among those with lower than predicted ABPs. Because OBPs were comparable in the two groups, we conclude that ABP was an important determinant of clinical outcome.
In considering new paradigms for the prevention and treatment of disease and disability, we need to incorporate ways to promote social support and develop family and community strengths and abilities into our interventions. There is now a substantial body of evidence that indicates that the extent to which social relationships are strong and supportive is related to the health of individuals who live within such social contexts. A review of population-based research on mortality risk over the last 20 years indicates that people who are isolated are at increased mortality risk from a number of causes. More recent studies indicate that social support is particularly related to survival postmyocardial infarction. The pathways that lead from such socioenvironmental exposures to poor health outcomes are likely to be multiple and include behavioral mechanisms and more direct physiologic pathways related to neuroendocrine or immunologic function. For social support to be health promoting, it must provide both a sense of belonging and intimacy and must help people to be more competent and self-efficacious. Acknowledging that health promotion rests on the shoulders not only of individuals but also of their families and communities means that we must commit resources over the next decade to designing, testing, and implementing interventions in this area.
The aim of the present investigation was to explore dose relationships for effects of oxytocin on spontaneous motor activity in the rat. Oxytocin in doses from 1-1000 micrograms/kg was given SC to male Sprague-Dawley rats, and spontaneous motor behavior was measured by means of photocell-operated open-field observations. In the rats treated with low doses of oxytocin (1-4 micrograms/kg), there was a decrease in peripheral locomotor activity. With increasing doses (250-1000 micrograms/kg), there were clear signs of sedative effects as indicated by a suppression of locomotor activity and rearing. The time course for the effect of oxytocin on peripheral activity (1 microgram/kg) and rearing (1 mg/kg) was tested. A maximal effect was obtained within 1 h and, thereafter, the behavior gradually returned to normal within 24 h. This spectrum of effects caused by oxytocin was similar to that of midazolam but different from that induced by raclopride.
Establishment of the behavioral significance of oxytocin neurotransmission in the brain has been a leading component in the emerging concept of neuropeptide regulation of behavior. Elucidating the behavioral effects of oxytocin has been facilitated by its profound regulation by estrogen in discrete brain areas and its subsequent role in estrogen-dependent responses. For example, female sexual behavior is estrogen dependent, estrogen markedly increases oxytocin binding in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus and infusion of oxytocin in this brain area increases female sexual behavior. A similar correlation exists for the role of oxytocin and estrogen in the regulation of maternal behavior. A possible underlying cause of these behavioral effects is that by acting as an anxiolytic, oxytocin reduces the inhibition inherent in social encounters. Behavioral tests in the laboratory frequently involve the exposure of the animal to a novel environment, such as a pup-retrieval apparatus or mating arena, combined with exposure to an unfamiliar conspecific. These stimuli are likely to induce a stress response and perhaps this anxiety is reduced by oxytocin. Recent evidence in mice suggests that oxytocin has anxiolytic properties in estrogen-treated females (McCarthy and Goldman, 1994) and supports the hypothesis that a unifying principal in oxytocin action in the brain is to facilitate social encounters by reducing the associated anxiety.
The posterior pituitary hormone oxytocin has modulatory effects on neural functioning that are significant to the regulation of behavior. Basic research in animals has established the importance of oxytocin in affiliation, including mating, pair bonding and parenting behaviors. It is also an important regulator of feeding, grooming and responses to stress. The actions of oxytocin in the brain are regulated by gonadal steroid hormones, particularly estrogen. Oxytocin might also influence normal behavior in humans, and dysfunctions in the oxytocin system might be involved in the etiology and expression of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) may be an independent predictor of cardiovascular endpoints, but little is known about its psychosocial determinants. The acute effects of psychosocial processes on cardiovascular activity during daily life were examined by random-effects regression. Healthy adults (N = 120) were monitored over a 6-day period with ABP monitors and computer-assisted self-report assessments. Task strain, social conflict, and emotional activation were rated following each ABP measurement, as were activity, posture, and other covariates. Results show that blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were elevated during periods of emotional activation (high negative affect or high arousal). Diastolic BP was lower during periods involving high decisional control, and HR was lower during high-control, low-demand activities. There were substantial individual differences in the effects of psychosocial influences on ambulatory cardiovascular activity. Psychological factors are reliable determinants of ABP, which may account in part for the unique predictive value of ABP.
To investigate how the effects of oxytocin on blood pressure are influenced by female sex hormones, oxytocin (1 mg/kg, s.c.) was given to intact cycling and ovariectomized (OVX) female rats. Oxytocin caused a transient increase in blood pressure, most pronounced during proestrus (p < 0.01) and estrus (p < 0.01). This increase was partially antagonized by an oxytocin antagonist. When oxytocin was given for 5 days, blood pressure decreased (intact rats: 123+/-1.5 vs. 130+/-1.3 mm Hg; p < 0.001, OVX rats: 120+/-3.0 vs. 129+/-1.1 mm Hg; p < 0.001). This decrease, not abolished by the oxytocin antagonist, persisted for 3 weeks in intact rats and for 8 days in OVX rats. If oxytocin treatment of OVX rats continued, a nadir of 12 mm Hg (118+/-1.7 mm Hg; p < 0.001) was reached after 8 days. Thereafter heart rate decreased significantly (p < 0.05). One daily oxytocin injection for 12 days to OVX rats decreased blood pressure for 3 weeks, as in intact rats. These results show that acute and chronic oxytocin treatment cause opposite effects on blood pressure, and that these effects are modified by female sex hormones.
The purpose of this paper is to review existing behavioral and neuroendocrine perspectives on social attachment and love. Both love and social attachments function to facilitate reproduction, provide a sense of safety, and reduce anxiety or stress. Because social attachment is an essential component of love, understanding attachment formation is an important step toward identifying the neurobiological substrates of love. Studies of pair bonding in monogamous rodents, such as prairie voles, and maternal attachment in precocial ungulates offer the most accessible animal models for the study of mechanisms underlying selective social attachments and the propensity to develop social bonds. Parental behavior and sexual behavior, even in the absence of selective social behaviors, are associated with the concept of love; the analysis of reproductive behaviors, which is far more extensive than our understanding of social attachment, also suggests neuroendocrine substrates for love. A review of these literatures reveals a recurrent association between high levels of activity in the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and the subsequent expression of social behaviors and attachments. Positive social behaviors, including social bonds, may reduce HPA axis activity, while in some cases negative social interactions can have the opposite effect. Central neuropeptides, and especially oxytocin and vasopressin have been implicated both in social bonding and in the central control of the HPA axis. In prairie voles, which show clear evidence of pair bonds, oxytocin is capable of increasing positive social behaviors and both oxytocin and social interactions reduce activity in the HPA axis. Social interactions and attachment involve endocrine systems capable of decreasing HPA reactivity and modulating the autonomic nervous system, perhaps accounting for health benefits that are attributed to loving relationships.
The neurohormone oxytocin is responsible for initiating childbirth and the let-down reflex in lactating women and is released during sexual orgasm. Oxytocin has been thought of as an affiliation hormone because research on nonhuman mammals has demonstrated that it plays a key role in the initiation of maternal behavior and the formation of adult pair bonds. It has been speculated that social stimuli may induce oxytocin release and that oxytocin may make positive social contact more rewarding. Data are presented from an initial study to examine change in plasma oxytocin in response to a standard imagery task that elicits emotion related to attachment. Twenty-five normal cycling, healthy women underwent imagery tasks and completed questionnaires on attachment and interpersonal problems. Blood draws (5 ml) were bone via an indwelling catheter before, during, and after three interventions (massage, positive emotion, and negative emotion) and to establish baselines. Overall, the data showed a tendency for oxytocin levels to be elevated in response to relaxation massage and decreased in response to sad emotion. There were individual differences in response to the interventions. Those who showed evidence of increased oxytocin levels for positive emotion and massage and who maintained oxytocin levels during negative emotion were less likely to report interpersonal problems associated with intrusiveness. Maintaining oxytocin levels during sadness was also correlated with lower anxiety in close relationships. Women who were in a couple relationship had greater increases in oxytocin in response to positive emotion. In contrast, higher basal levels of oxytocin were associated with greater interpersonal distress. These data suggest that peripheral secretion of oxytocin in response to emotional stimuli is associated with the individual's interpersonal characteristics.
To examine the effect of marital status (married, widowed, divorced/separated, and never-married) on mortality in a cohort of 281,460 men and women, ages 45 years and older, of black and white races, who were part of the National Longitudinal Mortality Study (NLMS).
Major findings are based on assessments of estimated relative risk (RR) from Cox proportional hazards models. Duration of bereavement for the widowed is also estimated using the Cox model.
For persons aged 45-64, each of the non-married groups generally showed statistically significant increased risk compared to their married counterparts (RR for white males, 1.24-1.39; white females, 1.46-1.49; black males, 1.27-1.57; and black females, 1. 10-1.36). Older age groups tended to have smaller RRs than their younger counterparts. Elevated risk for non-married females was comparable to that of non-married males. For cardiovascular disease mortality, widowed and never-married white males ages 45-64 showed statistically significant increased RRs of 1.25 and 1.32, respectively, whereas each non-married group of white females showed statistically significant increased RRs from 1.50 to 1.60. RRs for causes other than cardiovascular diseases or cancers were high (for white males ages 45-64: widowed, 1.85; divorced/separated, 2.15; and never-married, 1.48). The importance of labor force status in determining the elevated risk of non-married males compared to non-married females by race is shown.
Each of the non-married categories show elevated RR of death compared to married persons, and these effects continue to be strong after adjustment for other socioeconomic factors.
The modulation of the central cardiovascular effects of alpha2-adrenoceptor activation by oxytocin in the nucleus tractus solitarii has been evaluated by cardiovascular analysis and by quantitative receptor autoradiography. Microinjections in the nucleus tractus solitarii of a threshold dose of oxytocin effectively and significantly counteracted the vasodepressor and bradycardic actions of an ED50 dose of the alpha2-adrenoceptor agonist clonidine. The coinjection of a threshold dose of oxytocin with a threshold dose of clonidine did not produce any changes in the mean arterial pressure but a tachycardic response was observed. Receptor autoradiographical experiments showed that oxytocin (3 nM) significantly increased the Kd and Bmax values of [3H]p-aminoclonidine binding sites in the nucleus tractus solitarii compatible with a possible antagonistic interaction with the alpha2-adrenoceptors, and this effect was blocked by the presence of the specific oxytocin receptor antagonist 1-deamino-2-D-Tyr-(OEt)-4-Thr-8-Orn-oxytocin. These findings suggest the existence of an antagonistic oxytocin/alpha2-adrenoceptor interaction in nucleus tractus solitarii that may be of relevance for the demonstrated modulation of alpha2-adrenoceptor induced cardiovascular responses by oxytocin.
It is difficult to think of any behavioural process that is more intrinsically
important to us than attachment. Feeding, sleeping and locomotion are all
necessary for survival, but humans are, as Baruch Spinoza famously noted,
"a social animal" and it is our social attachments that we live
for. Over the past decade, studies in a range of vertebrates, including humans,
have begun to address the neural basis of attachment at a molecular, cellular
and systems level. This review describes some of the important insights from
this work.
We have previously shown that oxytocin receptors are present in the heart and that perfusion of isolated rat hearts with oxytocin results in decreased cardiac flow rate and bradycardia. The mechanisms involved in the negative inotropic and chronotropic effects of oxytocin were investigated in isolated dog right atria in the absence of central mechanisms. Perfusion of atria through the sinus node artery with 10(-6) mol/L oxytocin over 5 minutes (8 mL/min) significantly decreased both beating rate (-14.7+/-4.9% of basal levels, n=5, P<0.004) and force of contraction (-52.4+/-9.1% of basal levels, n=5, P<0.001). Co-perfusion with 10(-6) mol/L oxytocin receptor antagonist (n=3) completely inhibited the effects of oxytocin on frequency (P<0.04) and force of contraction (P<0.004), indicating receptor specificity. The effects of oxytocin were also totally inhibited by co-perfusion with 5x10(-8) mol/L tetrodotoxin (P<0.02) or 10(-6) mol/L atropine (P<0.03) but not by 10(-6) mol/L hexamethonium, which implies that these effects are neurally mediated, primarily by intrinsic parasympathetic postganglionic neurons. Co-perfusion with 10(-6) mol/L NO synthase inhibitor (L-NAME) significantly inhibited oxytocin effects on both beating rate (-1.85+/-1.27% versus -14.7+/-4.9% in oxytocin alone, P<0.05) and force of contraction (-24.9+/-4.4% versus -52.4+/-9.1% in oxytocin alone, n=4, P<0.04). The effect of oxytocin on contractility was further inhibited by L-NAME at 10(-4) mol/L (-8.1+/-1.8%, P<0.01). These studies imply that the negative inotropic and chronotropic effects of oxytocin are mediated by cardiac oxytocin receptors and that intrinsic cardiac cholinergic neurons and NO are involved in these actions.
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of postnatal oxytocin (OT) treatment and postnatal stroking on blood pressure and heart rate in adult rats. For this purpose, rats were treated subcutaneously with OT (1 mg/kg) once a day on days 1-14 after birth, or exposed to stroking on the ventral side of the abdomen for 5 min once a day on days 1-7 after birth. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured at the age of 7-8 months. The OT-treated male rats had a significantly reduced diastolic blood pressure in adulthood (p < 0.001), and in the female rats, both systolic (p < 0.01) and diastolic blood pressures (p < 0.001) were significantly lower compared to controls given saline postnatally. OT reduced blood pressure also in prenatally stressed female rats, which had a significantly higher blood pressure in adulthood compared to control rats that had not been exposed to prenatal stress. Also, the postnatal stroking reduced diastolic blood pressure in adulthood (p < 0.05). No changes in heart rate were found. In conclusion, both postnatal OT treatment and postnatal stroking reduced blood pressure in adulthood. In addition, in female rats, OT reduced the increase in blood pressure caused by prenatal stress.
The well known effects of oxytocin on uterine contraction and milk ejection were found as early as the beginning of the 20th century. Since then many other effects of oxytocin have been found and among them a great number of effects on the cardiovascular system. Oxytocin is released from the neurohypophysis into the circulation and from parvocellular neurons within the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) to many areas within the central nervous system (CNS). Indeed, oxytocin may modify blood pressure as well as heart rate both through effects within the CNS and through effects in other organs, such as the heart, blood vessels and kidney. Oxytocin may also cause cardiovascular effects by affecting other mediators, such as atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), nitric oxide (NO) and alpha 2-adrenoreceptors.
The effects of tactile stimuli on plasma oxytocin and neuropeptide Y (NPY) were investigated in 21 volunteers exposed to massage. Blood samples for basal values were drawn immediately before and immediately after finishing the massage. A third sample was drawn after 60 min of restricted rest. On focusing on the difference between oxytocin concentrations before and immediately after massage, we found a sex difference. An opposite sex difference was found for NPY. The results imply that there might be sex-related difference in neurohormonal response to tactile stimuli such as in massage, and the results contradict those of previously reported animal experiments.
Study protocols in endocrinological research and the neurosciences often employ repeated measurements over time to record changes in physiological or endocrinological variables. While it is desirable to acquire repeated measurements for finding individual and group differences with regard to response time and duration, the amount of data gathered often represents a problem for the statistical analysis. When trying to detect possible associations between repeated measures and other variables, the area under the curve (AUC) is routinely used to incorporate multiple time points. However, formulas for computation of the AUC are not standardized across laboratories, and existing differences are usually not presented when discussing results, thus causing possible variability, or incompatibility of findings between research groups. In this paper, two formulas for calculation of the area under the curve are presented, which are derived from the trapezoid formula. These formulas are termed 'Area under the curve with respect to increase' (AUCI) and 'Area under the curve with respect to ground' (AUCG). The different information that can be derived from repeated measurements with these two formulas is exemplified using artificial and real data from recent studies of the authors. It is shown that depending on which formula is used, different associations with other variables may emerge. Consequently, it is recommended to employ both formulas when analyzing data sets with repeated measures.
The authors investigated the relationship between brief warm social and physical contact among cohabitating couples and blood pressure (BP) reactivity to stress in a sample of healthy adults (66 African American, 117 Caucasian; 74 women, 109 men). Prior to stress, the warm contact group underwent a 10-minute period of handholding while viewing a romantic video. Followed by a 20-second hug with their partner, while the no contact group rested quietly for 10 minutes and 20 seconds. In response to a public speaking task, individuals receiving prestress partner contact demonstrated lower systolic BP diastolic BP, and heart rate increases compared with the no contact group. The effects of warm contact were comparable for men and women and were greater for African Americans compared with Caucasians. These findings suggest that affectionate relationships with a supportive partner may contribute to lower reactivity to stressful life events and may partially mediate the benefit of marital support on better cardiovascular health.