Affectionate touch and diurnal oxytocin levels

• Verfasst von: Schneider, Ekaterina [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Hopf, Dora [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Aguilar-Raab, Corina [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Scheele, Dirk [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Neubauer, Andreas B. [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Sailer, Uta [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Hurlemann, René [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Eckstein, Monika [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Ditzen, Beate [VerfasserIn]
• Titel: Affectionate touch and diurnal oxytocin levels
• Titelzusatz: An ecological momentary assessment study
• Verf.angabe: Ekaterina Schneider, Dora Hopf, Corina Aguilar-Raab, Dirk Scheele, Andreas B Neubauer, Uta Sailer, René Hurlemann, Monika Eckstein, Beate Ditzen
• E-Jahr: 2023
• Jahr: 30 May 2023
• Umfang: 18 S.
• Illustrationen: Illustrationen
• Fussnoten: Gesehen am 04.01.2024
• Titel Quelle: Enthalten in: eLife
• Ort Quelle: Cambridge : eLife Sciences Publications, 2012
• Jahr Quelle: 2023
• Band/Heft Quelle: 12(2023), Artikel-ID e81241, Seite 1-18
• ISSN Quelle: 2050-084X
• DOI: doi:10.7554/eLife.81241
• Datenträger: Online-Ressource
• Sprache: eng
• Sach-SW: affectionate touch
• Sach-SW: cortisol
• Sach-SW: Covid-19
• Sach-SW: oxytocin
• Sach-SW: well-being
• K10plus-PPN: 1877268453

Abstract

Background:. Affectionate touch, which is vital for mental and physical health, was restricted during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study investigated the association between momentary affectionate touch and subjective well-being, as well as salivary oxytocin and cortisol in everyday life during the pandemic. Methods:. In the first step, we measured anxiety and depression symptoms, loneliness and attitudes toward social touch in a large cross-sectional online survey (N = 1050). From this sample, N = 247 participants completed ecological momentary assessments over 2 days with six daily assessments by answering smartphone-based questions on affectionate touch and momentary mental state, and providing concomitant saliva samples for cortisol and oxytocin assessment. Results:. Multilevel models showed that on a within-person level, affectionate touch was associated with decreased self-reported anxiety, general burden, stress, and increased oxytocin levels. On a between-person level, affectionate touch was associated with decreased cortisol levels and higher happiness. Moreover, individuals with a positive attitude toward social touch experiencing loneliness reported more mental health problems. Conclusions:. Our results suggest that affectionate touch is linked to higher endogenous oxytocin in times of pandemic and lockdown and might buffer stress on a subjective and hormonal level. These findings might have implications for preventing mental burden during social contact restrictions. Funding:. The study was funded by the German Research Foundation, the German Psychological Society, and German Academic Exchange Service.