title: The influence of early life sexual abuse on oxytocin concentrations and premenstrual symptomatology in women with a menstrually related mood disorder.
abstract: Oxytocin (OT), associated with affiliation and social bonding, social salience, and stress/pain regulation, may play a role in the pathophysiology of stress-related disorders, including menstrually-related mood disorders (MRMD's). Adverse impacts of early life sexual abuse (ESA) on adult attachment, affective regulation, and pain sensitivity suggest ESA-related OT dysregulation in MRMD pathophysiology. We investigated the influence of ESA on plasma OT, and the relationship of OT to the clinical phenomenology of MRMD's. Compared to MRMD women without ESA (n=40), those with ESA (n=20) displayed significantly greater OT [5.39pg/mL (SD, 2.4) vs. 4.36pg/mL (SD, 1.1); t (58)=-2.26, p=0.03]. In women with ESA, OT was significantly, inversely correlated with premenstrual psychological and somatic symptoms (r's=-0.45 to -0.64, p's<0.05). The relationship between OT and premenstrual symptomatology was uniformly low and non-significant in women without ESA. In women with ESA, OT may positively modulate MRMD symptomatology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7175, USA. Electronic address: shannon_crowley@med.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Shannon K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Crowley
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7175, USA. Electronic address: cort_pedersen@med.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Cort A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7175, USA. Electronic address: JLes@med.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leserman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7175, USA. Electronic address: Susan_Girdler@med.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Susan S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Girdler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000097:blood*; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000097:blood*; D011293:Premenstrual Syndrome / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D010121:Oxytocin
keywords: Early life abuse; Menstrually related mood disorder (MRMD); Oxytocin; Sexual abuse; Stress