Research

A relationship between oxytocin and anxiety of romantic attachment

Donatella Marazziti¹, Bernardo Dell'Osso^1,2, Stefano Baroni¹, Francesco Mungai¹, Mario Catena¹, Paola Rucci¹, Francesco Albanese¹, Gino Giannaccini¹, Laura Betti¹, Laura Fabbrini¹, Paola Italiani¹, Alessandro Del Debbio¹, Antonio Lucacchini¹ and Liliana Dell'Osso¹

¹  Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, University of Pisa, Italy

²  Compulsive, Impulsive and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, USA

Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health 2006, 2:28doi:10.1186/1745-0179-2-28

Published:	11 October 2006

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.