Emotional neglect in childhood shapes social dysfunctioning in adults by influencing the oxytocin and the attachment system: Results from a population-based study
Emotional neglect in childhood shapes social dysfunctioning in adults by influencing the oxytocin and the attachment system: Results from a population-based study
复制标题
DOI：
10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2018.05.011
复制
发表时间：
2019-02-01
影响因子：
3
通讯作者：
Buchheim, Anna
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Mueller, Laura E.;Bertsch, Katja;Buchheim, Anna
早期生活虐待（ELM）是成年后社会功能和心理健康受损的主要单一风险因素。最普遍和增长最快的ELM形式之一是情感忽视。根据生物行为同步性假设，催产素和依恋系统在情感忽视与社会功能障碍的相互作用中起着重要的中介作用。因此，本研究的目的是调查成年社会功能障碍的两个重要且高度普遍的方面，即恐惧和逃避，是否受到情感忽视、血浆催产素水平和依恋表征的影响。我们在以人口为基础的N = 121名男性和女性样本中，使用童年创伤问卷，使用成人依恋投影图像系统评估当前依恋表征，使用Liebowitz社交焦虑量表评估对社交情境的恐惧和回避，评估了情感忽视以及其他形式的ELM。此外，每位参与者抽取4.9 ml血样以评估外周血血浆催产素水平。应用序列中介模型，结果显示情绪忽视与血浆催产素水平降低相关，而血浆催产素水平降低与不安全依恋表征相关，而不安全依恋表征与社交情境的恐惧和回避升高有关(a(1)d（21)b(2): F-3,F-117 = 20.84, P < .001）。血浆催产素和当前依恋表征因此完全和顺序地介导情感忽视对社会恐惧和回避的影响，这是成人社会功能障碍的两个重要方面，证实了生物行为同步性假设。
Early life maltreatment (ELM) is the major single risk factor for impairments in social functioning and mental health in adulthood. One of the most prevalent and most rapidly increasing forms of ELM is emotional neglect. According to bio-behavioral synchrony assumptions, the oxytocin and attachment systems play an important mediating role in the interplay between emotional neglect and social dysfunctioning. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether fear and avoidance of social functioning, two important and highly prevalent facets of social dysfunctioning in adulthood, are shaped by emotional neglect, plasma oxytocin levels and attachment representations. We assessed emotional neglect as well as other forms of ELM with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, current attachment representations with the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System, and fear and avoidance of social situations with the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale in a population-based sample of N = 121 men and women. Furthermore, 4.9 ml blood samples were drawn from each participant to assess peripheral plasma oxytocin levels.Applying a sequential mediation model, results revealed that emotional neglect was associated with lower plasma oxytocin levels which in turn were associated with insecure attachment representations which were related to elevated fear and avoidance of social situations (a(1)d(21)b(2): F-3,F-117 = 20.84, P < .001). Plasma oxytocin and current attachment representations hence fully and sequentially mediate the effects of emotional neglect on social fear and avoidance, two important facets of adult social dysfunctioning, confirming bio-behavioral synchrony assumptions.