Anxiety and plasma oxytocin levels in mothers having CP children

Anxiety affects oxytocin in mothers of CP children

Abstract

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) experience several medical, social, and psychological problems, and their families, especially mothers, face considerable economic and psychosocial difficulties. The current study aimed to estimate the levels of anxiety in mothers caring for children who are severely affected by CP, compare these scores with those of mothers of healthy children and assess the correlation between anxiety scores and plasma oxytocin levels.

METHODOLOGY: The cross-sectional comparative study included a total of 42 mothers with first group of 21 mothers who had children with severe CP and a second group of 21 controls after obtaining written informed consent. All participants were younger than 40 years. Anxiety was assessed using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Oxytocin was measured using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA).

RESULTS: No significant difference was observed between the means of the anxiety scores and plasma oxytocin levels of the two groups. Spearman correlation analysis showed, a significant negative correlation of BAI score with the plasma oxytocin levels was observed.

CONCLUSION: The results of this study revealed no significant difference in anxiety in mothers having CP children. The significant negative correlation between plasma oxytocin levels and anxiety scores suggests a possible role of oxytocin in anxiety.