Salivary oxytocin concentrations in children and adolescents with and without OCD

Abstract Introduction: Oxytocin has been implicated as a biological mechanism within obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Few studies only involving adults have investigated this hypothesis and found inconsistent results. We investigated whether salivary oxytocin concentrations differed between children and adolescents with and without OCD and qualified our comparative analysis by investigating the possible covariates age, pubertal stage, and sex. Methods Participants included 113 children and adolescents (8–17 years) with OCD and 88 children and adolescents without any previous or current psychiatric disorder and their parents (254 parents included). Salivary oxytocin concentrations were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical analyses were performed using frequentist and Bayesian approaches. Results We found no evidence of a difference in mean salivary oxytocin concentrations between children and adolescents with and without OCD. Bayesian analyses indicated anecdotal to moderate support for the null hypothesis. We found an association between oxytocin and age and pubertal stage, which by visual inspection of plots and post-hoc tests indicated a nonlinear relationship. We found no association between oxytocin and sex. Conclusion Our findings do not suggest elevated oxytocin concentrations in pediatric OCD. Nonlinear changes in oxytocin across development show the importance of accounting for hormonal and behavioral changes during puberty.