Table 3.
Studies pertaining to oxytocin with parents and infants using cross-over study design.
| Authors/Year/Country | Study design/Purpose | Subjects/Time points | Parent-Infant contact method/Theoretical construct | Outcome Measures/Time Points | Major Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cong, Ludington-Hoe, Hussain, Cusson, Walsh, Vazquez, Briere, & Vittner, 2015 USA |
Randomized cross-over design Examined parental salivary OT and SC levels before, during, and after parental skin-to-skin contact with premature infants. |
Parents: n = 45 (26 mothers, 19 fathers) Premature infants: n = 28 3–14 days old Time points: Before, during and after SSC |
30 min of maternal-infant SSC (M-SSC) & 30 min paternal infant SSC (P-SSC) Theoretical construct of study not described. |
Salivary M-OT & P-OT, SC, Parent stress and anxiety were measured before, during and after 30 min of SSC. Time Points: Before, during & after SSC |
Salivary M-OT & P-OT ↑ during SSC (P< 0.05). Mother and father dyads showed correlated or synchronized stress and anxiety responses (P< 0.05), before, during and after SSC. M-SSC and P-SSC activated M-OT & P-OT and reduced stress and anxiety responses P-OT remained ↑ post SSC while M-OT dropped post SSC |
| Vittner, McGrath, Robinson, Lawhon, Cusson, Eisenfeld, Walsh, Young, & Cong, 2018 USA |
Randomized cross-over design Examined changes in infant & parent salivary OT and SC levels before, during, and after skin-to-skin contact with preterm infants. |
Parents: n = 56 (28 couples) Premature infants: n = 28 3–10 days old Time points: Before, during and after SSC |
60 min of maternal-infant SSC (M-SSC) & 60 min paternal infant SSC Theoretical construct: Roy Adaptation Model |
Salivary infant OT, M-OT, P-OT, and SC, Parent stress and anxiety were measured before, during and after 60 min of SSC. 5 min parent-infant interaction (dyadic mutuality coding) Time Points: Before, during & after SSC |
Salivary OT for infant, mothers, fathers ↑ during SSC (P<0.001). Mother/father dyads had correlated stress and anxiety responses (P<0.05). SC ↓ infants during SSC with mother or father. ↑ OT had ↑ synchronous and responsive interactions Mother-infants (P<0.01) and father-infants (P < 0.01) |
Note: SSC = skin-to-skin contact, OT = Oxytocin, SC = salivary cortisol, M-OT = maternal oxytocin, P-OT = paternal oxytocin.