Influence of oxytocin on parenting behaviors and parent-child bonding: A systematic review.

Shorey S, Asurlekar AR, Chua JS, Lim LHK

Developmental psychobiology1 Mar 2023Cited by 15 (Europe PMC)

PMID36811366DOI10.1002/dev.22359PepBankPUB-36811366

Publisher page PubMedAsk about this study

Summary

The text of this summary is not shown here, because the article license does not allow reuse. Read it at the source (opens in a new tab)

Text rights: Publisher copyright. Results still quote short attributed sentences.

Results from this study8

No result from this study comes from a test of the peptide.

Natural levels measured8

These results measure the body's own peptide. Nobody was given the peptide. They are not evidence about taking it. They are left out of key results, evidence counts and charts.

01HumanEndogenous levelSystematic reviewOther
In a systematic review of parents, higher natural oxytocin levels were positively related to parental touch.
In plain wordsIn parents, higher levels of the body's own oxytocin were linked to more touch with their child.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
IncreaseParental touch
Study
n: not reported in source
Outcome group
Social behavior and cognition · Mental health and mood
Source sentences
Summary
Current evidence strongly suggests that parental OT levels are positively related to parental touch and parental gaze and affect synchrony and observer-coded parent-infant bonding.
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
A systematic search was conducted in five databases from 2002 to May 2022, and 33 studies were finalized and included.
This result measures the body's own Oxytocin. Nobody was given the peptide. It is not evidence about taking it.
Report a problemFND-3681136601
02HumanEndogenous levelSystematic reviewOther
In a systematic review of parents, higher natural oxytocin levels were positively related to parental gaze.
In plain wordsIn parents, higher levels of the body's own oxytocin were linked to more gaze toward their child.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
IncreaseParental gaze
Study
n: not reported in source
Outcome group
Social behavior and cognition · Mental health and mood
Source sentences
Summary
Current evidence strongly suggests that parental OT levels are positively related to parental touch and parental gaze and affect synchrony and observer-coded parent-infant bonding.
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
A systematic search was conducted in five databases from 2002 to May 2022, and 33 studies were finalized and included.
This result measures the body's own Oxytocin. Nobody was given the peptide. It is not evidence about taking it.
Report a problemFND-3681136602
03HumanEndogenous levelSystematic reviewOther
In a systematic review of parents, higher natural oxytocin levels were positively related to affect synchrony.
In plain wordsIn parents, higher levels of the body's own oxytocin were linked to better emotional matching with their child.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
IncreaseParent-infant affect synchrony
Study
n: not reported in source
Outcome group
Social behavior and cognition · Mental health and mood
Source sentences
Summary
Current evidence strongly suggests that parental OT levels are positively related to parental touch and parental gaze and affect synchrony and observer-coded parent-infant bonding.
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
A systematic search was conducted in five databases from 2002 to May 2022, and 33 studies were finalized and included.
This result measures the body's own Oxytocin. Nobody was given the peptide. It is not evidence about taking it.
Report a problemFND-3681136603
04HumanEndogenous levelSystematic reviewOther
In a systematic review of parents, higher natural oxytocin levels were positively related to observer-coded parent-infant bonding.
In plain wordsIn parents, higher levels of the body's own oxytocin were linked to stronger observed bonding with their infant.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
IncreaseObserver-coded parent-infant bonding
Study
n: not reported in source
Outcome group
Social behavior and cognition · Mental health and mood
Source sentences
Summary
Current evidence strongly suggests that parental OT levels are positively related to parental touch and parental gaze and affect synchrony and observer-coded parent-infant bonding.
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
A systematic search was conducted in five databases from 2002 to May 2022, and 33 studies were finalized and included.
This result measures the body's own Oxytocin. Nobody was given the peptide. It is not evidence about taking it.
Report a problemFND-3681136604
05HumanEndogenous levelSystematic reviewOther
In a systematic review of parents, natural oxytocin levels did not differ between fathers and mothers.
In plain wordsIn parents, the body's own oxytocin levels did not differ between fathers and mothers.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
No significant changeOxytocin level difference between fathers and mothers
Study
n: not reported in source
Outcome group
Social behavior and cognition · Mental health and mood
Source sentences
Summary
No gender difference in OT levels was observed between fathers and mothers
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
A systematic search was conducted in five databases from 2002 to May 2022, and 33 studies were finalized and included.
This result measures the body's own Oxytocin. Nobody was given the peptide. It is not evidence about taking it.
Report a problemFND-3681136605
06HumanEndogenous levelSystematic reviewOther
In a systematic review, natural oxytocin levels were linked to more affectionate parenting in mothers.
In plain wordsIn mothers, higher levels of the body's own oxytocin were linked to more affectionate parenting.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
IncreaseAffectionate parenting in mothers
Study
n: not reported in source
Outcome group
Social behavior and cognition · Mental health and mood
Source sentences
Summary
OT strengthens affectionate parenting in mothers and stimulatory parenting in fathers.
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
A systematic search was conducted in five databases from 2002 to May 2022, and 33 studies were finalized and included.
This result measures the body's own Oxytocin. Nobody was given the peptide. It is not evidence about taking it.
Report a problemFND-3681136606
07HumanEndogenous levelSystematic reviewOther
In a systematic review, natural oxytocin levels were linked to more stimulatory parenting in fathers.
In plain wordsIn fathers, higher levels of the body's own oxytocin were linked to more stimulatory parenting.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
IncreaseStimulatory parenting in fathers
Study
n: not reported in source
Outcome group
Social behavior and cognition · Mental health and mood
Source sentences
Summary
OT strengthens affectionate parenting in mothers and stimulatory parenting in fathers
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
A systematic search was conducted in five databases from 2002 to May 2022, and 33 studies were finalized and included.
This result measures the body's own Oxytocin. Nobody was given the peptide. It is not evidence about taking it.
Report a problemFND-3681136607
08HumanEndogenous levelSystematic reviewOther
In a systematic review, child natural oxytocin levels were positively associated with parental oxytocin levels.
In plain wordsChildren's own oxytocin levels were linked to higher oxytocin levels in their parents.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
IncreaseChild oxytocin level versus parental oxytocin level
Study
n: not reported in source
Outcome group
Social behavior and cognition · Mental health and mood
Source sentences
Summary
Child OT levels were also positively associated with parental OT levels.
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
A systematic search was conducted in five databases from 2002 to May 2022, and 33 studies were finalized and included.
This result measures the body's own Oxytocin. Nobody was given the peptide. It is not evidence about taking it.
Report a problemFND-3681136608

AI wrote and checked these results. AI can make mistakes, so check important results against the source.

Version history

PepBank keeps every version of the data on this study. Status changes from Retraction Watch, Europe PMC and Crossref are listed with their source.

Version 2Current
11 Oct 2026, 00:50 UTC
Study results updated
Version 1
9 Oct 2026, 02:48 UTC
First added · source update from Europe PMC

Subjects

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