Psychosocial stress moderates the relationships between oxytocin, perinatal depression, and maternal behavior

The hormone oxytocin (OT) is of particular interest in the study of childbearing women, as it has a role in the onset and course of labor and breastfeeding. Recent research has linked OT to maternal caregiving behavior towards her infant, and to postpartum depressive symptomatology. There is also evidence that psychosocial adversity affects the oxytocin system. The present study investigated the relationship of endogenous OT in women during pregnancy and at 8weeks postpartum to psychosocial stress, maternal symptoms of depression, and maternal sensitive behavior. It was hypothesized that OT would mediate the effects of maternal depressive symptoms on maternal interactive behavior. We also tested the hypothesis that psychosocial stress would moderate the relationship between OT and maternal depressive symptoms and sensitive behavior. A community sample of 287 women was assessed at 12–14weeks of gestation, 32–34weeks of gestation, and 7–9weeks postpartum. We measured plasma OT, maternal symptoms of depression and psychosocial stress. At the postpartum home visit, maternal behavior in interaction with the infant was videotaped, and then coded to assess sensitivity. In the sample as a whole, OT was not related to maternal depressive symptoms or to sensitive maternal behavior. However, among women who reported high levels of psychosocial stress, higher levels of plasma OT were associated with fewer depressive symptoms and more sensitive maternal behavior. These results suggest that endogenous OT may act as a buffer against the deleterious effects of stress, thereby protecting high risk women from developing depressive symptoms and promoting more sensitive maternal interactive behavior. •Plasma oxytocin (OT) was associated with psychosocial stress in childbearing women.•Psychosocial stress moderated the association between OT and depressive symptoms.•Depressive symptoms were attenuated in high stress women with higher levels of OT.•High stress women behaved more sensitively with their infants if they had higher OT.•OT did not mediate the association between maternal mood and behavior.