Ditzen Beate, Neumann Inga D, Bodenmann Guy, von Dawans Bernadette, Turner Rebecca A, Ehlert Ulrike, Heinrichs Markus
Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, Binzmuhlestrasse 14/Box 26, CH-8050 Zurich, Switzerland.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2007 Jun;32(5):565-74. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2007.03.011. Epub 2007 May 11.
In animal studies, positive social interaction and physical contact play a preeminent role in the control of behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to stress. The aim of this study was to determine whether specific kinds of couple interaction reduce hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and autonomic responses to psychosocial stress in women. Sixty-seven women, aged 20-37 years, who had been married or cohabiting with a male partner for at least 12 months at the time of the study, were exposed to a standardized psychosocial laboratory stressor (Trier Social Stress Test). Participants were randomly assigned to three study groups differing in the type of a 10-min period of social interaction with their partner prior to stress: n=25 with no partner interaction, n=22 with verbal social support, and n=20 with physical contact (standardized neck and shoulder massage). Salivary free cortisol levels, plasma levels of oxytocin, heart rate, and psychological responses to stress were compared among the three study groups. Women with positive physical partner contact before stress exhibited significantly lower cortisol and heart rate responses to stress but no different plasma oxytocin levels compared to women who received social support or no social interaction. Verbal social support alone was not associated with reduced stress responsiveness. Our results are in line with previous human studies indicating reduced responsiveness to verbal social support by a spouse in women. More importantly, these findings imply a direct protective effect of touch on stress-related neurobiological systems as a possible underlying mechanism of health beneficial effects of positive couple interaction.
在动物研究中，积极的社会互动和身体接触在控制对应激的行为和神经内分泌反应方面起着至关重要的作用。本研究的目的是确定特定类型的伴侣互动是否能降低女性下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）轴以及自主神经系统对应激的反应。67名年龄在20至37岁之间的女性参与了研究，她们在研究时已与男性伴侣结婚或同居至少12个月，这些女性被暴露于标准化的心理社会实验室应激源（特里尔社会应激测试）。参与者被随机分配到三个研究组，这三个组在应激前与伴侣进行10分钟社会互动的类型上有所不同：n = 25组为无伴侣互动，n = 22组为言语社会支持，n = 20组为身体接触（标准化的颈部和肩部按摩）。比较了三个研究组之间唾液游离皮质醇水平、血浆催产素水平、心率以及对应激的心理反应。与接受社会支持或无社会互动的女性相比，应激前与伴侣有积极身体接触的女性对应激的皮质醇和心率反应显著更低，但血浆催产素水平没有差异。单独的言语社会支持与应激反应性降低无关。我们的结果与之前的人体研究一致，这些研究表明女性对配偶言语社会支持的反应性降低。更重要的是，这些发现暗示了触摸对应激相关神经生物学系统的直接保护作用，这可能是积极伴侣互动对健康有益影响的潜在机制。
