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Study · Systematic review · 2024

2 results

The effects of oxytocin administration on social and routinized behaviors in autism: A preregistered systematic review and meta-analysis.

Audunsdottir K, Sartorius AM, Kang H, Glaser BD, Boen R, Nærland T, Alaerts K, Kildal ESM, Westlye LT, Andreassen OA, Quintana DS

Psychoneuroendocrinology4 May 2024Cited by 30 (Europe PMC)

PMID38815399 (opens in a new tab)DOI10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107067 (opens in a new tab)PepBankPUB-38815399
Publisher pagePubMedAsk about this study
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Summary

Oxytocin administration has demonstrated considerable promise for providing individualized support for autistic people. However, studies evaluating the effects of oxytocin administration on autistic characteristics have yielded inconsistent results. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates the effect of oxytocin administration on social and routinized behaviors in autism using recently developed methods to accurately assess the potential impact of effect size dependency and publication bias. Our frequentist meta-analysis yielded a significant summary effect size estimate for the impact of oxytocin administration on social outcomes in autism (d = 0.22, p < 0.001). The summary effect size estimate for routinized behavior outcomes was not statistically significant (d = 0.14, p = 0.22), with a follow up test indicating that the effect size estimate was not either statistically equivalent (Z = -1.06, p = 0.2), assuming a smallest effect size of interest of 0.25. Frequentist and Bayesian assessments for publication bias, as well as results from Robust Bayesian meta-analysis of oxytocin effects on social outcomes in autism, indicated that summary effect sizes might be inflated due to publication bias. Future studies should aim to reduce bias by preregistering analysis plans and to increase precision with larger sample sizes.
CC BYText from Europe PMC. Highlighted sentences are the source of results.

Results from this study2

2 results from studies that gave the peptide. 2 results from people.

  1. 01HumanSystematic reviewEfficacy outcome

    In autistic people, a meta-analysis found a significant summary effect of oxytocin administration on social outcomes (d = 0.22).

    In plain wordsIn autistic people, oxytocin gave a small but significant benefit for social outcomes in a meta-analysis, though publication bias may inflate it.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    IncreaseSocial outcomes in autism
    Study

    n: not reported in source

    Outcome group
    Social behavior and cognition · Mental health and mood
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated

    Measurements

    Summary effect size (d)
    0.22 d
    social outcomes

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Our frequentist meta-analysis yielded a significant summary effect size estimate for the impact of oxytocin administration on social outcomes in autism (d = 0.22, p < 0.001).
    2 context sentences
    Summary · context
    summary effect sizes might be inflated due to publication bias
    Summary · context
    This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates the effect of oxytocin administration on social and routinized behaviors in autism using recently developed methods to accurately assess the potential impact of effect size dependency and publication bias.
  2. 02HumanSystematic reviewEfficacy outcome

    In autistic people, oxytocin administration had no statistically significant summary effect on routinized behavior, and equivalence to no effect was also not shown.

    In plain wordsIn autistic people, oxytocin showed no clear effect on routinized behavior in a meta-analysis, and the result could not rule out a small effect.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    No significant changeRoutinized behavior outcomes in autism
    Study

    n: not reported in source

    Outcome group
    Autism core symptoms · Mental health and mood
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated

    Measurements

    Summary effect size (d)
    0.14 d
    routinized behavior

    Source sentences

    Summary
    The summary effect size estimate for routinized behavior outcomes was not statistically significant (d = 0.14, p = 0.22), with a follow up test indicating that the effect size estimate was not either statistically equivalent (Z = -1.06, p = 0.2), assuming a smallest effect size of interest of 0.25.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates the effect of oxytocin administration on social and routinized behaviors in autism using recently developed methods to accurately assess the potential impact of effect size dependency and publication bias.

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.

  1. Version 2Current

    9 Oct 2026, 18:17 UTC

    Study results updated

  2. Version 1

    9 Oct 2026, 02:47 UTC

    First added · source update from Europe PMC

Subjects

Terms as the source lists them.

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