Abstract
Background: Child maltreatment is related to oxytocin (OT), which is related to social functioning. It may hamper the OT level to avoid a harmful situation and increase the OT level to adapt to the situation using a tend-and-befriend stress reaction.Objective: This study aims to examine the association between the accumulation of moderate–severe childhood maltreatment and salivary OT levels in Japanese adolescents.Participants: We used convenience samples of adolescents living in an institution (n = 31) and those living with their parents (n = 46).Methods: Child maltreatment experiences were measured with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. The salivary OT levels were assessed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. A multivariate regression analysis was performed to see the association between the accumulation of child maltreatment types and the salivary OT levels adjusted for covariates (i.e., age, sex, and duration of institutionalization).Results: Physical abuse was associated with higher OT, while emotional neglect showed an inverse association with OT. OT was the lowest with one maltreatment type group, which was significantly lower than the non-maltreatment group. As the number of maltreatment types increased from one maltreatment type to 2–3 types and to 4–5 types, OT also increased. This U-shaped association between the number of maltreatment types and OT was confirmed with the significant result of a square term of number of maltreatment type in the model (p = 0.012).Conclusion: We found herein a U-shaped association between the accumulation of child maltreatment and salivary OT levels. Also, different types of maltreatment had varied effects on the salivary OT. Further study is needed to elucidate the non-linear association between child maltreatment and OT levels.
Highlights
Child maltreatment is related to a neuropeptide, called oxytocin (OT)
A study that investigated children who had been raised in a neglectful orphanage in the first few years of life found their tendency to have lower urinary OT levels compared with controls after interacting with their mothers [2]
The mean of the total duration of alternative care placement was 4.3 years (SD = 5.24), ranging from 1 month to 18 years. Many of these adolescents had lived under alternative care in either another institution or with a foster family before moving to their current institution
Summary
Child maltreatment is related to a neuropeptide, called oxytocin (OT). Adverse experiences of early life care, such as child abuse and neglect, disrupt the OT system development in children. Studies on child maltreatment and OT have found negative associations between childhood maltreatment history and OT levels. Heim et al [1] examined the association between OT levels in the cerebrospinal fluid and the history of moderate– severe childhood maltreatment in healthy adult women. Negative associations between childhood emotional maltreatment and plasma OT levels were reported for female adult patients with borderline personality disorder [4] and a population-based adult sample [5]. These findings suggest that the OT system development may be hindered by maltreatment experiences during childhood, and peripheral OT could be subsequently maintained at lower levels. It may hamper the OT level to avoid a harmful situation and increase the OT level to adapt to the situation using a tend-and-befriend stress reaction
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