Table 3.
Narrative synthesis.
| Study | Outcome | Type of effect-size | Effect sizea (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary outcomes | |||
| Boll et al.65 Tracy et al.72 Louvel et al.69 |
Pain intensity (Boll, Tracy) and pain threshold (Louvel) | Individual effect sizes | Boll: d = 0.57 (−0.02, 1.16) Tracy: d = −0.16 (−0.72, 0.41) Louvel: d = 1.21 (0.50, 1.29) |
| Yang74 Wang et al.73 |
Presence of pain relief (Yang, Wang) | Odds ratio at the mid-level dosage of intravenous and intrathecal OT | Yang: Intrathecal; OR = 709.33 (70.81, 7105.33) Intravenous; OR = 1 (0.06, 16.52) Wang: Intranasal; OR = 27.44 (5.31, 141.82) |
| Secondary outcomes | |||
| Flynn et al.68 Mameli et al.70 Ohlsson et al.71 |
Change in depressed mood | Mean difference of the mean differences between depression ratings in OT and PBO (i.e., [post-OT − pre-OT] − [post-PBO − pre-PBO]) | Flynn: d = 0.22 (−0.58, 1.02) Mameli: d = 0.05 (−0.71, 0.80) Ohlsson: d = −0.16 (−0.76, 0.44) |
| Flynn et al.68 Mameli et al.70 Ohlsson et al.71 |
Change in anxious mood | Mean difference of the mean differences between anxiety ratings in OT and PBO (i.e., [post-OT − pre-OT] − [post-PBO − pre-PBO]) | Flynn: d = 0.09 (−0.72, 0.88) Mameli: d = −0.13 (−1.13, 0.39) Ohlsson: d = −0.15 (−0.45, 0.75) |
| Clark et al.67 Anderberg and Uvnäs-Moberg63 |
Association between anxiety and OT levels | Separate correlations between self-reported anxiety ratings on a 10-point scale and OT levels in patients for each study | Clark: r = 0.02 Anderberg: r = −0.46 |
aEffect sizes calculated such that positive values favor the effect of oxytocin.
OT = oxytocin; PBO = placebo; Post = self-report ratings of pain, anxiety, and depression after oxytocin administration; Pre = self-report ratings of pain, anxiety, and depression before oxytocin administration.