title: A relationship between oxytocin and anxiety of romantic attachment.
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.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, University of Pisa, Italy. dmarazzi@psico.med.unipi.it
authors.forename: Donatella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marazziti
authors.forename: Bernardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dell'Osso
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baroni
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mungai
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Catena
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rucci
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Albanese
authors.forename: Gino
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giannaccini
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Betti
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fabbrini
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Italiani
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del Debbio
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lucacchini
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dell'Osso