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Association between salivary oxytocin concentration and social loneliness in older adults: Findings from an uncontrolled pre-post multimodal intervention study
Plain-language guide to PMID 42475809 (2026): clinical trial study of Oxytocin in 62 participants.
Key Facts
- PMID
- 42475809
- Journal
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Year
- 2026
- Study type
- Clinical Trial
- Authors
- Zaharia G et al. (4 authors)
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2026.107968
What This Study Did, in Plain Language
What Was Tested
Researchers studied Oxytocin in this clinical trial publication.
Bivariate analyses were used to examine the association between sociodemographic factors, oxytocin and loneliness, and oxytocin concentrations before and after the intervention were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
A linear regression analysis was performed to determine which variable predicts changes in oxytocin concentration.
Why It Was Studied
Building on studies showing that oxytocin levels rise during social interactions, the researchers hypothesised that oxytocin concentration associates with loneliness, and that an intervention aimed at alleviating loneliness could be accompanied by changes in peripheral oxytocin concentration.
Who Took Part
The study group was 62 participants.
By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were middle-aged adults, older adults and people over 80, both men and women.
The assessment used sociodemographic questionnaires and the De Jong-Gierveld Loneliness Scale, as well as saliva samples collected before and after the multimodal programme aimed at alleviating loneliness in older individuals.
How the Study Was Run
The study was carried out between March and June 2023.
What Was Measured
Building on studies showing that oxytocin levels rise during social interactions, the researchers hypothesised that oxytocin concentration associates with loneliness, and that an intervention aimed at alleviating loneliness could be accompanied by changes in peripheral oxytocin concentration.
PubMed files the paper under topics including Loneliness, Oxytocin, Saliva, Social Interaction, Spain and Surveys and Questionnaires.
Author keywords: Multimodal programme, Older adults and Salivary biomarker.
What This Means in Plain Language
This is a clinical trial of Oxytocin in 62 participants.
Its findings take up roughly 7 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.
The publication is from 2026 (Psychoneuroendocrinology), a journal based in England.
More context: the Oxytocin compound page, all human trials.
Our Notes on the Compound
Oxytocin: A peptide hormone with established obstetric medical uses and a less settled role in research on behavior, sexual function and appetite.
Related Pages
Source: PubMed record. This explanation is written by PeptideWhiz from the public record. For research and education only. Not medical advice; no dosing information is given.