Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany; Ruprecht-Karls University Heidelberg, Germany.
Clinic of Psychosomatic and Psychotherapy, Hospital Darmstadt, Germany; Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2021 Jun;128:105224. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105224. Epub 2021 Apr 18.
Oxytocin has been associated with anxiolytic and stress reducing effects in a number of studies. Less is known about the associations of endogenous oxytocin concentrations and their interaction with other hormones such as sex hormones in relation to self-reported anxiety levels. In this study, endogenous oxytocin and sex hormone levels were analyzed in 99 high (51 women) and 100 low (50 women) socially anxious individuals. Regression analyses showed that women with high oxytocin and estradiol levels reported a lower total Liebowitz Social Anxiety Score (LSAS) as well as a lower score on the subscale LSAS Fear. This association of hormonal interaction with social anxiety scores was significant in the subsample of high socially anxious women. In men there were no significant associations for endogenous hormones with LSAS scores. These findings suggest that in women the link between oxytocin and anxiety might be dependent on basal anxiety levels as well as on individual sex hormone levels.
催产素在多项研究中与抗焦虑和降低压力的作用有关。关于内源性催产素浓度及其与其他激素（如性激素）的相互作用与自我报告的焦虑水平之间的关系，人们知之甚少。在这项研究中，分析了 99 名高社交焦虑（51 名女性）和 100 名低社交焦虑（50 名女性）个体的内源性催产素和性激素水平。回归分析显示，催产素和雌二醇水平高的女性报告的整体利博维茨社交焦虑量表（LSAS）总分以及 LSAS 恐惧子量表得分较低。这种激素相互作用与社交焦虑评分的关联在高社交焦虑女性的亚组中具有统计学意义。而在男性中，内源性激素与 LSAS 评分之间没有显著关联。这些发现表明，在女性中，催产素与焦虑之间的联系可能取决于基础焦虑水平以及个体的性激素水平。
