Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Psychology Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2010

Selected Works

Eastern Illinois University

Articles 1 - 1 of 1

Full-Text Articles in Psychology

Marital Behavior, Oxytocin, Vasopressin, And Wound Healing, Jean-Phillipe Gouin, Jeffrey R. Stowell, C. Sue Carter, Hossein Pournajafi-Nazarloo, Ronald Glasser, William B. Malarkey, Timothy J. Loving, Janice K. Kiecoltglaser Aug 2010

Marital Behavior, Oxytocin, Vasopressin, And Wound Healing, Jean-Phillipe Gouin, Jeffrey R. Stowell, C. Sue Carter, Hossein Pournajafi-Nazarloo, Ronald Glasser, William B. Malarkey, Timothy J. Loving, Janice K. Kiecoltglaser

Jeffrey R. Stowell

Animal studies have implicated oxytocin and vasopressin in social bonding, physiological stress responses, and wound healing. In humans, endogenous oxytocin and vasopressin levels covary with perceptions of relationship quality, marital behaviors, and physiological stress responses. To investigate relationships among marital behavior, oxytocin, vasopressin, and wound healing, and to determine the characteristics of individuals with the highest neuropeptide levels, 37 couples were admitted for a 24-hour visit in a hospital research unit. After small blister wounds were created on their forearm, couples participated in a structured social support interaction task. Blister sites were monitored daily following discharge to assess wound repair …