Computationally derived parent-child interaction patterns and oxytocin in children with and without OCD

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Anna-Rosa Cecilie Mora-Jensen1, Christine Lykke Thoustrup1, Eli R Lebowitz2

  • 1Child and Adolescent Mental Health Center, Copenhagen University Hospital - Mental Health Services CPH, Gentofte Hospitalsvej 3A, Hellerup, Copenhagen DK-2900, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 33.5, Sektion A, København N 2200, Denmark.

Journal of Anxiety Disorders
|March 21, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Oxytocin levels in children and mothers correlate with specific parent-child interaction styles in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Fathers' oxytocin showed associations with interaction patterns only when the child had OCD.

Area of Science:

  • Neurobiology
  • Child Psychiatry
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Parent-child interactions are crucial in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
  • Understanding the biological underpinnings of these interactions, such as oxytocin, may inform OCD treatment.
  • Previous research has not explored oxytocin's role in parent-child interactions within pediatric OCD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate latent patterns in parent-child interactive behaviors using machine learning.
  • To explore the association between these behavioral patterns and oxytocin levels in children with and without OCD.
  • To examine potential differences in these associations between mother-child and father-child dyads.

Main Methods:

  • Salivary oxytocin levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
  • Investigator-rated parent-child behaviors were assessed during a frustration task.
  • Principal component analysis and archetypal analysis identified behavioral patterns, with regression analyzing associations with oxytocin in 107 mother-child and 62 father-child pairs.

Main Results:

  • Machine learning identified distinct mother-child and father-child interaction patterns.
  • Child and mother oxytocin positively correlated with 'overinvolved' and 'emotional' interactions, and negatively with 'distant' interactions.
  • Mother oxytocin linked to 'supportive' and 'varied-coping' interactions, while father oxytocin associated with 'supportive interactions' specifically in children with OCD.

Conclusions:

  • Child and mother oxytocin levels are related to observed mother-child interaction patterns.
  • Fathers' oxytocin showed associations with interaction patterns exclusively in the context of a child's OCD diagnosis.
  • Findings suggest a potential role for oxytocin in family dynamics related to pediatric OCD, highlighting gender-specific differences.
Abstract

Keywords:
Child HealthMachine learningObsessive compulsive disorderOxytocinParent-child interaction

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