Oxytocin and early parent-infant interactions: A systematic review.
Naomi Scatliffe, Sharon Casavant, Dorothy Vittner and 1 others
PMID 31728399WHAT IT FOUND
Parent-infant contact was usually associated with higher oxytocin.
Skin-to-skin contact was associated with higher oxytocin and lower parental stress and anxiety. The review cannot show oxytocin caused bonding, and it does not show that oxytocin itself creates attachment.
Key findings
01Most included studies found a positive association between parent-infant contact and oxytocin levels.
02Two studies showed higher oxytocin during parent-infant skin-to-skin contact and lower parent stress and anxiety after interaction.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Most included studies were observational, so they cannot show cause and effect. The review could not determine whether oxytocin changes caused behavior or behavior caused oxytocin changes. Peripheral oxytocin samples do not directly measure oxytocin in the brain. The studies varied in design, population, and contact method. The review included only English-language studies. Many studies did not work with diverse populations.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest or commercial interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that oxytocin causes parent-infant bonding. The review is based mostly on observational studies and peripheral oxytocin samples, and it cannot show whether oxytocin changed because of interaction or interaction changed because of oxytocin.