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KMID : 1009020190170040487
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Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience
2019 Volume.17 No. 4 p.487 ~ p.494
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The Interaction of Oxytocin and Social Support, Loneliness, and Cortisol Level in Major Depression
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Tsai Tsung-Yu
Tseng Huai-Hsuan
Chi Mei Hung
Chang Hui Hua
Wu Cheng-Kuan
Yang Yen Kuang
Chen Po See
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Abstract
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Objective: Loneliness is a specific risk factor for depressive symptoms and suicidal behavior. The present study examined whether the serum oxytocin level would interact with social support and buffers loneliness and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis activity in drug-naive patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).
Methods: Twenty-six patients with MDD (male:female = 3:23; mean age, 45.54 ± 12.97 years) were recruited. The 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, UCLA Loneliness Scale and self-reported Measurement of Support Function Questionnaire were administered. Serum oxytocin and cortisol levels were assessed using a commercial immunoassay kits.
Results: In MDD patients, a negative association was found between degrees of social support and loneliness (β= ?0.39, p = 0.04). The interaction between social support and serum oxytocin level was negatively associated with loneliness (β= ?0.50, p = 0.017) and serum cortisol level (β= ?0.55, p = 0.020) after adjusting for age. Follow-up analyses showed that the association between higher social support and lower loneliness was observed only in the higher-oxytocin group (r = ?0.75, p = 0.003) but not in the lower group (r = ?0.19, p = 0.53). The significance remained after further adjusting for sex and depression severity.
Conclusion: Low oxytocin level is a vulnerability factor for the buffering effect of social support for loneliness and aberrant HPA-axis activity in MDD patients.
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KEYWORD
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Cortisol, Loneliness, Major depressive disorder, Oxytocin, Social support
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