Children With Divorced Parents Have Low Oxytocin Levels as Adults

Adults who had divorced parents when they were children experienced low levels of oxytocin hormone known as the love hormone.

Lower levels of oxytocin the ‘love hormone’ are found in adults whose parents were divorced when they were children, according to a study by Baylor University.

The lower level of the love hormone may play a role in having trouble forming attachments when they are grown.

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‘Lower levels of oxytocin, the love hormone is found in adults who experienced their parent’s divorce when they were children. They were also less confident, more uncomfortable with closeness and less secure in relationships.’
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The study published in the Journal of Comparative Psychology.

Oxytocin is a hormone which is secreted in the brain and released during bonding experiences such as the delivery of a baby or sexual interaction or nursing, even being hugged by a romantic partner.

The hormone is important for social behavior and emotional attachments in early life. The oxytocin system is also linked to parenting, attachment and anxiety.

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Previous studies have found that children whose parents were divorced experienced oxytocin related behaviors like mood disorders and substance abuse.

Additionally, divorce or death of a parent is associated with depression and anxiety in adolescents and adults, as well as with poorer parenting in adulthood, less parental sensitivity and warmth, overreaction and increased use of punishment.

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The new study examined the effects of parental divorce in childhood on later adult oxytocin level. They also asked participants to complete a set of questionnaires on attachment style and other measures.

128 individuals ages 18 to 62 were recruited for the study. 27.3% indicated their parents were divorced. The average age for participants when their parents divorced was 9 years.

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Participants were asked to empty their bladders, drink a 16-ounce bottle of water before filling the questionnaires.

The questions addressed their parents’ style, including affection, protection, indifference, over-control and abuse; and their levels of confidence, discomfort with closeness, need for approval and their styles of relationships and caregiving.

After participants completed the questionnaires, urine samples were collected, and researchers analyzed oxytocin concentrations. The levels were substantially lower in individuals whose childhood experience included their parents’ divorce. and correlated with responses on several measures of attachment.

The results suggest that oxytocin levels are adversely affected by parental divorce and may also be related to other effects that have been documented in people who experience parental divorce.

Individuals who had low oxytocin levels rated their parents as less caring and more indifferent and their fathers as more abusive. They were less confident, more uncomfortable with closeness and less secure in relationships. They rated their caregiving style as less sensitive and close than did the participants whose parents had not divorced.

Animal studies also suggest that one mechanism contributing to the negative effects of early parental separation may be suppression of oxytocin activity.

“One of the first questions I am asked when presenting this research to other scientists is ‘does how old the child is when the divorce occurs matter?’ That is the most pressing question that we need to explore,” Boccia said.

Source-Medindia