Oxytocin Levels Increase and Anxiety Decreases in Mothers Who Sing and Talk to Their Premature Infants during a Painful Procedure
(1) Background: Preterm infants spend their first weeks of life in the hospital partially separated from their parents and subjected to frequent potentially painful clinical procedures. Previous research has found that early vocal contact reduces infant pain perception while simultaneously increasin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Children |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/2/334 |
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| author | Manuela Filippa Maria Grazia Monaci Carmen Spagnuolo Massimiliano Di Benedetto Paolo Serravalle Didier Grandjean |
| author_facet | Manuela Filippa Maria Grazia Monaci Carmen Spagnuolo Massimiliano Di Benedetto Paolo Serravalle Didier Grandjean |
| author_sort | Manuela Filippa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | (1) Background: Preterm infants spend their first weeks of life in the hospital partially separated from their parents and subjected to frequent potentially painful clinical procedures. Previous research has found that early vocal contact reduces infant pain perception while simultaneously increasing oxytocin (OXT) levels. The current study aims to assess the effect of maternal singing and speaking on mothers. (2) Methods: During a painful procedure over two days, twenty preterm infants were randomly exposed to their mother’s live voice (speaking or singing). Maternal OXT levels were measured twice: before and after singing, as well as before and after speaking. The anxiety and resilience responses of mothers were studied before and after the two-day interventions, regardless of the speaking/singing condition. OXT levels in mothers increased in response to both singing and speech. Concurrently, anxiety levels decreased, but no significant effects on maternal resilience were found. (3) Conclusions: OXT could be identified as a key mechanism for anxiety regulation in parents, even in sensitive care situations, such as when their infant is in pain. Active involvement of parents in the care of their preterm infants can have a positive effect on their anxiety as well as potential benefits to their sensitivity and care abilities through OXT. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:00:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9ccf34bc9afa49a5b3ff639671575f43 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:00:07Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Children |
| spelling | doaj.art-9ccf34bc9afa49a5b3ff639671575f432023-11-16T19:49:18ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672023-02-0110233410.3390/children10020334Oxytocin Levels Increase and Anxiety Decreases in Mothers Who Sing and Talk to Their Premature Infants during a Painful ProcedureManuela Filippa0Maria Grazia Monaci1Carmen Spagnuolo2Massimiliano Di Benedetto3Paolo Serravalle4Didier Grandjean5Swiss Center of Affective Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, SwitzerlandDepartment of Social Sciences, University of Valle D’Aosta, 11100 Aosta, ItalyMaternal and Child Department, Parini Hospital, 11100 Aosta, ItalyDepartment of Clinical Pathology, Parini Hospital, 11100 Aosta, ItalyMaternal and Child Department, Parini Hospital, 11100 Aosta, ItalySwiss Center of Affective Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland(1) Background: Preterm infants spend their first weeks of life in the hospital partially separated from their parents and subjected to frequent potentially painful clinical procedures. Previous research has found that early vocal contact reduces infant pain perception while simultaneously increasing oxytocin (OXT) levels. The current study aims to assess the effect of maternal singing and speaking on mothers. (2) Methods: During a painful procedure over two days, twenty preterm infants were randomly exposed to their mother’s live voice (speaking or singing). Maternal OXT levels were measured twice: before and after singing, as well as before and after speaking. The anxiety and resilience responses of mothers were studied before and after the two-day interventions, regardless of the speaking/singing condition. OXT levels in mothers increased in response to both singing and speech. Concurrently, anxiety levels decreased, but no significant effects on maternal resilience were found. (3) Conclusions: OXT could be identified as a key mechanism for anxiety regulation in parents, even in sensitive care situations, such as when their infant is in pain. Active involvement of parents in the care of their preterm infants can have a positive effect on their anxiety as well as potential benefits to their sensitivity and care abilities through OXT.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/2/334maternal voiceinfant-directed singinginfant-directed speechpreterm infantspainful proceduresoxytocin |
| spellingShingle | Manuela Filippa Maria Grazia Monaci Carmen Spagnuolo Massimiliano Di Benedetto Paolo Serravalle Didier Grandjean Oxytocin Levels Increase and Anxiety Decreases in Mothers Who Sing and Talk to Their Premature Infants during a Painful Procedure Children maternal voice infant-directed singing infant-directed speech preterm infants painful procedures oxytocin |
| title | Oxytocin Levels Increase and Anxiety Decreases in Mothers Who Sing and Talk to Their Premature Infants during a Painful Procedure |
| title_full | Oxytocin Levels Increase and Anxiety Decreases in Mothers Who Sing and Talk to Their Premature Infants during a Painful Procedure |
| title_fullStr | Oxytocin Levels Increase and Anxiety Decreases in Mothers Who Sing and Talk to Their Premature Infants during a Painful Procedure |
| title_full_unstemmed | Oxytocin Levels Increase and Anxiety Decreases in Mothers Who Sing and Talk to Their Premature Infants during a Painful Procedure |
| title_short | Oxytocin Levels Increase and Anxiety Decreases in Mothers Who Sing and Talk to Their Premature Infants during a Painful Procedure |
| title_sort | oxytocin levels increase and anxiety decreases in mothers who sing and talk to their premature infants during a painful procedure |
| topic | maternal voice infant-directed singing infant-directed speech preterm infants painful procedures oxytocin |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/2/334 |
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