TY - CHAP
T1 - The relationship of spirituality, benefit finding, and other psychosocial variables to the hormone oxytocin in HIV/AIDS
AU - Kelsch, Courtney B.
AU - Ironson, Gail
AU - Szeto, Angela
AU - Kremer, Heidemarie
AU - Schneiderman, Neil
AU - Mendez, Armando J.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors wish to thank the Metanexus/Templeton Institute for funding this study (G. Ironson, PI) and the NIH (R01MH53791 and R01MH066697, G. Ironson, PI) for funding the parent study of the chronic disease sample, as well as the laboratory of Mary Ann Fletcher, PhD, for storing the plasma samples, and the laboratory of Armando Mendez, PhD for supervising the conduction of the assays, especially Crystal Noller, MS, for assisting with the assays, which were conducted by Courtney B. Kelsch.
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - The hormone oxytocin is known to play a role in social relationships and bonding, yet it has been relatively unexplored in relation to psychosocial variables. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine whether associations exist among oxytocin and the psychological resource factors spirituality, benefit finding, coping, and optimism, as well as depression and anxiety, in a diverse HIV-positive sample. Interviews and questionnaires were administered to 79 HIV-positive individuals, 38 of whom were from a chronic disease sample, and 41 of whom were from a study investigating spiritual transformation. Plasma samples were collected and assayed for oxytocin after being purified by an extraction procedure. Higher oxytocin levels were significantly associated with greater spirituality (r = .27, n = 79, p = .017), spiritual transformation (r = .26, n = 79, p = .020) and benefit finding (r = .32, n = 77, p = .005). Median oxytocin levels of those who experienced a spiritual transformation (26.48 pg/ml) were two times higher (U = 507, p = .021) than those who did not undergo a spiritual transformation (13.13 pg/ml). Oxytocin levels were not associated with coping, optimism, depression, or anxiety in this sample. The psychological resource factors spirituality and benefit finding were found to be associated with increased levels of oxytocin, suggesting that future studies should examine whether this hormone may play a protective role in HIV/AIDS, perhaps by mediating the relationship between these resource-related factors and health outcomes.
AB - The hormone oxytocin is known to play a role in social relationships and bonding, yet it has been relatively unexplored in relation to psychosocial variables. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine whether associations exist among oxytocin and the psychological resource factors spirituality, benefit finding, coping, and optimism, as well as depression and anxiety, in a diverse HIV-positive sample. Interviews and questionnaires were administered to 79 HIV-positive individuals, 38 of whom were from a chronic disease sample, and 41 of whom were from a study investigating spiritual transformation. Plasma samples were collected and assayed for oxytocin after being purified by an extraction procedure. Higher oxytocin levels were significantly associated with greater spirituality (r = .27, n = 79, p = .017), spiritual transformation (r = .26, n = 79, p = .020) and benefit finding (r = .32, n = 77, p = .005). Median oxytocin levels of those who experienced a spiritual transformation (26.48 pg/ml) were two times higher (U = 507, p = .021) than those who did not undergo a spiritual transformation (13.13 pg/ml). Oxytocin levels were not associated with coping, optimism, depression, or anxiety in this sample. The psychological resource factors spirituality and benefit finding were found to be associated with increased levels of oxytocin, suggesting that future studies should examine whether this hormone may play a protective role in HIV/AIDS, perhaps by mediating the relationship between these resource-related factors and health outcomes.
KW - AIDS
KW - Benefit finding
KW - HIV
KW - Oxytocin
KW - Spiritual transformation
KW - Spirituality
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84897621302&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Chapter
AN - SCOPUS:84897621302
T3 - Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion
SP - 137
EP - 162
BT - Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, Volume 24
A2 - Village, Andrew
A2 - Piedmont, Ralph L.
PB - Brill Academic Publishers
ER -