Oxytocin decreases handgrip force in reaction to infant crying in females without harsh parenting experiences
Publication year
2012Number of pages
7 p.
Source
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 7, 8, (2012), pp. 951-957ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

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Organization
SW OZ BSI OGG
Journal title
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
Volume
vol. 7
Issue
iss. 8
Languages used
English (eng)
Page start
p. 951
Page end
p. 957
Subject
Developmental PsychopathologyAbstract
Infant crying can elicit sensitive caregiving as well as hostility and harsh parenting responses. In the current study (N = 42 females) with a double-blind experimental design, we tested the effect of intranasal oxytocin administration on the use of excessive force using a hand-grip dynamometer during listening to infant cry sounds. Participants' experiences with harsh parental discipline during childhood were found to moderate the effect of oxytocin administration on the use of excessive force. Participants' whose parents did not discipline them harshly used less excessive force in the oxytocin condition, but for participants who were disciplined harshly there was no difference between the oxytocin and placebo condition. Such effects were not found during listening to infant laughter. We conclude that early caregiving experiences constitute an important moderator of the prosocial and/or stress-reducing effects of oxytocin. Oxytocin administration may increase trust and cooperation in individuals with supportive backgrounds, but not generate this effect in individuals who as a consequence of unfavorable early caregiving experiences may have a bias toward negative interpretation of social cues.
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