Effects of oxytocin and vasopressin administration on human fathers' sensitive and challenging parenting: A randomized within-subject controlled trial

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Oxytocin and Vasopressin, published as a randomized controlled trial.

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled within-subject study examined the effects of intranasal administration of oxytocin and vasopressin on fathers' sensitive and challenging parenting behaviors.

Furthermore, the researchers examined the moderating role of fathers' early childhood experiences.

Who Took Part

The age groups tagged for this paper are infants, men only.

All fathers were assigned to each of the three experimental sessions (oxytocin, vasopressin, and placebo), on three separate days, with random order and intervening periods of one to two weeks.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

Because people in this Oxytocin study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

Neither the participants nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Oxytocin, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the Oxytocin group a baseline to be compared against.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Adverse Childhood Experiences, Fathers, Oxytocin, Parenting, Paternal Behavior, Role and Vasopressins.

Author keywords: Challenging parenting behavior, Early childhood adversity and Sensitivity.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Oxytocin and Vasopressin.

The publication is from 2022 (Hormones and behavior), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Oxytocin compound page and the Vasopressin compound page, all human trials.