(Re-)activity in the caregiving situation: Genetic diversity within Oxytocin-Vasopressin Pathway is associated with salivary oxytocin and vasopressin concentrations in response to contact with a crying infant-simulator

A Scientometric Review of Infant Cry and Caregiver Responsiveness: Literature Trends and Research Gaps over 60 Years of Developmental Study

Infant cry is an adaptive signal of distress that elicits timely and mostly appropriate caring behaviors. Caregivers are typically able to decode the meaning of the cry and respond appropriately, but maladaptive caregiver responses are common and, in the worst cases, can lead to harmful events. To tackle the importance of studying cry patterns and caregivers' responses, this review aims to identify key documents and thematic trends in the literature as well as existing research gaps. To do so, we conducted a scientometric review of 723 documents downloaded from Scopus and performed a document co-citation analysis. The most impactful publication was authored by Barr in 1990, which describes typical developmental patterns of infant cry. Six major research thematic clusters emerged from the analysis of the literature. Clusters were renamed "Neonatal Pain Analyzer" (average year of publication = 2002), "Abusive Head Trauma" (average year of publication = 2007), "Oxytocin" (average year of publication = 2009), "Antecedents of Maternal Sensitivity" (average year of publication = 2010), "Neurobiology of Parental Responses" (average year of publication = 2011), and "Hormonal Changes & Cry Responsiveness" (average year of publication = 2016). Research clusters are discussed on the basis of a qualitative inspection of the manuscripts. Current trends in research focus on the neurobiology of caregiver responses and the identification of factors promoting maternal sensitivity. Recent studies have also developed evidence-based strategies for calming crying babies and preventing caregivers' maladaptive responses. From the clusters, two topics conspicuously call for future research: fathers' responsiveness to infant cry and the impact of caregiver relationship quality on cry responsiveness.

OXTR polymorphisms and parental bonding modulate alexithymia: The main effects and interaction

Alexithymia is a subclinical personality disorder characterized by difficulties in identifying and expressing one's own emotion. Individual differences in alexithymia are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. However, the interplay between these factors and their influences on alexithymia are unclear. Considering that oxytocin plays important roles in emotion processing and that parental bonding influences the development of alexithymia, we explored the associations between OXTR polymorphisms and alexithymia and examined whether the potential associations are moderated by parental bonding. To this end, we genotyped the OXTR polymorphisms (rs53576 and rs1042778) and scored alexithymia and parental bonding with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Parental Bonding Instrument. Results indicated that: (1) the characteristics of alexithymia were negatively associated with parental care and positively with parental overprotection; (2) the OXTR rs53576 was significantly associated with the characteristics of alexithymia, such that the AA genotype was associated with fewer difficulties in identifying feelings and describing feelings than the AG/GG genotypes; and (3) the OXTR rs1042778 interacted with parental care in alexithymia with the vantage sensitivity model: the GG genotype was related to less severity of alexithymia than the AG/GG genotypes only in individuals with higher parental care. Overall, these findings suggest that the OXTR is related to alexithymia and that the quality of parental care influences the relationship. However, considering that the evidence from this study is weak, more research is needed to understand the roles of OXTR in alexithymia.

Caregiving Situation as a Predictor of Subjective Caregiver Burden: Informal Caregivers of Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has created and exacerbated emotional, financial, and technical challenges for informal caregivers of older people. The aim of this study was to explore the caregiving situation and subjective burden of informal caregivers of older family members during COVID-19, and to investigate how a caregiving situation's characteristics predict the subjective burden of care in times of COVID-19. The study was conducted in April and May 2021 via an online access panel. The sample (n = 612) was determined using a screening test that enabled us to focus on a Slovenian population of informal caregivers aged 40+ caring for a person aged 65+ for at least four hours/week on average. Our findings reveal that the subjective burden of care was high among informal caregivers during COVID-19. Multiple regression analysis showed that the provision of activities of daily living, care duration, average hours of care per week, formal care status, and recipients' health problems related to dementia or other memory problems significantly predicted the subjective burden of caregivers. These findings call for better recognition of the role of informal caregivers. The time and effort devoted to informal care should be supported by legislation and social security.

Physical activity associates empathy in Japanese young adults with specific gene variations of oxytocin receptor and vasopressin V1B receptor

BACKGROUND

Empathy, consisting of cognitive empathy and affective empathy, is essential for creating relationships with others. Since the genetic polymorphism of oxytocin receptor (OXTR) and arginine-vasopressin V1B receptor (AVPR1B) relate to prosocial behavior and empathy, it would need to innovate strategies for treating human empathy by considering individual genetic variations. Physical activity is expected as a possible strategy; here, we investigated the influences of genetic polymorphisms in OXTR SNP rs53576 and AVPR1B SNP rs28373064, on the relationships of self-reported empathy with physical activity.

METHODS

The saliva is collected from a hundred Japanese college students for determining the individual polymorphism of OXTR SNP rs53576 (AA, AG, or GG genotype) and AVPR1B SNP rs28373064 (TT, TC, or CC genotype). In addition, the participants' self-reported cognitive and affective empathy, amounts of physical activity, and sitting time were evaluated with questionaries.

RESULTS

The participants with OXTR SNP rs53576 GG genotype showed a significant negative correlation between sitting time and cognitive empathy adjusted by age, gender, and sports experience. Further, there was a trend to correlate between physical activity amounts and cognitive empathy in the participants carrying the G variant in OXTR SNP rs53576 (AG or GG). As for AVPR1B SNP rs28373064, the persons with TT genotype exhibited a negative correlation trend between sitting time and cognitive empathy.

CONCLUSIONS

There are possible correlations between the self-reported cognitive empathy and physical activity amounts in the persons carrying the G variant of OXTR rs53576 or with the TT genotype for AVPR1B SNP rs28373064.

Do empathy and oxytocin predict responsiveness to a crying infant simulator in expecting and non-expecting couples? A multilevel study

Infant crying is a strong emotional stimulus that elicits caregiving responses in adults. Here we examine the role of empathy (measured with the Polish version of Interpersonal Reactivity Index) and salivary oxytocin in modulating sensitive responsiveness to a crying infant simulator in two groups of heterosexual couples: 111 expecting or 110 not expecting a baby. Sensitive responsiveness was observed during a standardized procedure using the Ainsworth Sensitivity Scale while participants took care of the infant simulator, both individually and as a couple. Other-oriented empathy predicted elevated levels of individual but not couple sensitive responsiveness. More OT reactivity to crying predicted less responsiveness in non-expecting couples, which might be explained by their stronger focus on task performance. This study uniquely combined hormonal, observational and self-report measures in couples, and showed that personality and hormonal correlates of sensitive responsiveness might be studied before the child's birth with the use of infant simulators.

Discussions and perspectives regarding oxytocin as a biomarker in human investigations

This article introduces a review of research that has implemented oxytocin measurements in different fluids such as plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, urine and, mainly, saliva. The main purpose is to evaluate the level of evidence supporting the measurement of this biomarker implicated in a variety of psychological and social processes. First, a review of the technical developments that allowed the characterization, function establishing, and central and peripheral levels of this hormone is proposed. Then, the article approaches the current discussions regarding the level of reliability of the laboratory techniques that enable the measurement of oxytocin, focusing mainly on the determination of its concentration in saliva through Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Finally, research results, which have established the major physiological correlates of this hormone in fields such as social neuroscience and neuropsychology, are collected and discussed in terms of the hormone measurement methods that different authors have used. In this way, the article is expected to contribute to the panorama of debates and current perspectives regarding investigation involving this important biomarker.