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Oxytocin levels and self-reported anxiety during interactions between humans and cows.
Berget, Bente; Vas, Judit; Pedersen, Gunn; Uvnäs-Moberg, Kerstin; Newberry, Ruth C.
Afiliación
  • Berget B; Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Department of Health, Social and Welfare Studies, University of South-Eastern Norway, Borre, Norway.
  • Vas J; Department of Health and Society, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS, Kristiansand, Norway.
  • Pedersen G; Faculty of Biosciences, Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.
  • Uvnäs-Moberg K; Faculty of Biosciences, Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.
  • Newberry RC; Department of Animal Environment and Health, Section of Anthrozoology and Applied Ethology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skara, Sweden.
Front Psychol ; 14: 1252463, 2023.
Article en En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37780173
Introduction: Positive social interactions with farm animals may have therapeutic benefits on humans by increasing brain oxytocin secretion, as inferred from circulating oxytocin levels. The aim of this observational study was to investigate acute changes in human plasma oxytocin levels and state anxiety associated with interactions with dairy cows. Methods: Data were collected from 18 healthy female nursing students who performed stroking and brushing of an unfamiliar cow for 15 min. Blood samples were drawn before entering the cowshed (T1, baseline), and after 5 (T2) and 15 (T3) min of interaction with a cow. At T1 and T3, the students filled out the Norwegian version of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State Subscale (STAI-SS). Results: Across participants, no significant changes in average plasma oxytocin concentration were detected between time points (p>0.05). There was, however, a modest decline in the STAI-SS scores between T1 and T3 (p=0.015) and a positive correlation between the change in individual level of state anxiety between T1 and T3 and the change in OT concentration of the same individual between T2 and T3 (p = 0.045). Discussion: The results suggest that friendly social interactions with cows are beneficial in lowering state anxiety, but any relationship with release of OT into the circulation was complex and variable across individuals. The acute reduction in state anxiety lends support to the value of interacting with farm animals in the context of Green Care for people with mental health challenges.
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Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Tipo de estudio: Observational_studies Idioma: En Revista: Front Psychol Año: 2023 Tipo del documento: Article País de afiliación: Noruega Pais de publicación: Suiza
Texto completo
Añadir a Mi BVS
Imprimir
XML
PubMed Links
Buscar en Google

Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Tipo de estudio: Observational_studies Idioma: En Revista: Front Psychol Año: 2023 Tipo del documento: Article País de afiliación: Noruega Pais de publicación: Suiza