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Cited by 124Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorAttachment and Relationship DynamicsHuman-Animal Interaction Studies

A relationship between oxytocin and anxiety of romantic attachment

Open access
Marazziti·2006·Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health
DOI 10.1186/1745-0179-2-28
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Abstract

The formation of social bonding is fundamental for several animals, including humans, for its relevant and obvious impact upon reproduction and, thus, survival of the species. Recent data would suggest that oxytocin might be one of the mediators of this process. Given the paucity of data on the possible involvement of oxytocin in human attachment, the present study was aimed to explore the possible relationships between the plasma levels of this neuropeptide and romantic attachment in healthy subjects. Forty-five healthy subjects who volunteered for the study, were included in the study. The romantic attachment was assessed using the Italian version of the so-called "Experiences in Close Relationships" (ECR), a self-report questionnaire for measuring this parameter in adults. The results showed that attachment anxiety and oxytocin are positively linked in romantic attachment to a statistically significant degree (r = 0.30, p = 0.04), that is, the higher the oxytocin levels the higher the score on the anxiety scale of the ECR. The authors suggest the hypothesis that this link represents one of the biological processes resulting in those rewarding emotions related to romantic attachment.

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Crossref · 10.1186/1745-0179-2-28

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  • Findings on peripheral oxytocin are mixed: some studies link plasma oxytocin with positive communication, affiliation, and emotional support, while others link it with negative emotions, anxiety, and distress in romantic couples.

    “However, findings regarding peripheral OT are mixed. Whereas some found links between plasma OT and positive communication, affiliation, and emotional support (Gonzaga et al., 2006; Grewen et al., 2005; Holt-Lunstad et al., 2008), others showed associations with negative emotions, anxiety, and distress in romantic couples (Marazziti et al., 2006; Tabak et al., 2010; Taylor et al., 2010).”

    From Oxytocin during the initial stages of romantic attachment: Relations to couples’ interactive reciprocity (2012) · cites this paper as Marazziti et al., 2006

    The Results report a positive association between plasma oxytocin and romantic-attachment anxiety (r = 0.30, p = 0.04). The paper does not report associations with negative emotions or distress, and the Results note that some participants were not in a romantic relationship, so its sample cannot be described simply as romantic couples. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • There is a positive correlation between oxytocin plasma concentrations and attachment anxiety and interpersonal distress.

    “Moreover, there are also reports documenting a positive correlation between OXT plasma concentrations and attachment anxiety (72) and interpersonal distress (61,73).”

    From Dissecting the Role of Oxytocin in the Formation and Loss of Social Relationships (2016) · cites this paper as [72]

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Research works printed but not linked: 7

  1. Keverne EB, Kendrick K: Oxytocin facilitation of maternal behaviour. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1992, 652:83-101.
  2. Brothers L: The social brain: a project for integrating primate behaviour and neurophysiology in a new domain. Concepts in Neuroscience 1990, 1:27-51.
  3. Uvnås-Moberg K: Oxytocin may mediate the benefit of posi- tive social interaction and emotions. Psychoneuroendocrinology 1998, 23:819-835.
  4. Chalinor SM, Winters SJ, Amico JA: Patterns of oxytocin concen- trations of healthy women and men: effect of the menstrual cycle and short-term fasting. Endocr Res 1994, 20:117-125.
  5. Mantella RC, Vollmer RR, Li X, Amico JA: Female oxytocin defi- cient mice display enhancved anxiety-related behavior. Endo- crinology 2003, 144:2291-2296.
  6. Heinrichs M, Baumgartner T, Kirschbaum C, Ehlert U: Social sup- port and oxytocin interact to suppress cortsiol and subjec- tive responses to social stress. Biol Psychiatry 2003, 54:1389-1398.
  7. Gillath O, Bunge SA, Shaver PR, Wendelken C, Mikulincer M: Attachment-style differences in the ability to suppress nega- tive thoughts exploring the neural correlates. Neuroimage 2005, 28(4):835-47.

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Authors
Marazziti
Venue
Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health
Publisher
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Published
2006
Volume
2
Issue
1
Pages
28
ISSN
1745-0179 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/1745-0179-2-28
OpenAlex
W1523966806
Cited by
124
References
44
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 8
FWCI
3.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca (Universita Degli Studi Di Milano) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • CINECA IRIS Institutial research information system (University of Pisa) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Human-Animal Interaction Studies
Keywords
oxytocin, romantic attachment, attachment anxiety, social bonding, plasma oxytocin, Experiences in Close Relationships, neuropeptides, close relationships

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