Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40553073›Full record

ArticleResearch in psychotherapy (Milano)2025

The role of oxytocin as an indicator of outcome and therapeutic alliance.

Chiara Durante, Giulia Di Vincenzo, Alessandra Minutoli, Giampaolo Nicolais, Valeria Carola

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Research in psychotherapy (Milano), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Chiara DuranteSchool of Specialization in Clinical Psychology, Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome.ORCID 0009-0005-4327-9640
Giulia Di VincenzoSchool of Specialization in Clinical Psychology, Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome.ORCID 0009-0005-0979-7508
Alessandra MinutoliSchool of Specialization in Clinical Psychology, Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome.ORCID 0009-0003-2222-2229
Giampaolo NicolaisSchool of Specialization in Clinical Psychology, Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome.
Valeria CarolaSchool of Specialization in Clinical Psychology, Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Oxytocin is a neuropeptide produced by the hypothalamus and involved in numerous functions, such as labor and breastfeeding. The literature has highlighted the critical role of this hormone in interpersonal relationships - particularly in mother-child and sentimental relationships - implicating it in attachment bonds. Several recent studies have examined the activation of oxytocin in the psychotherapeutic relationship. This narrative review article describes the modulation of the oxytocinergic axis in patients and therapists, based on a review of papers identified through searches of PsycINFO, PubMed, and RivistaWeb, from January 2015 to May 2024. The results of this literature review support the hypothesis that changes in oxytocin levels during interactions between therapist and patient are associated with the therapeutic process by activating the attachment system. Furthermore, this mechanism does not appear to be influenced by the therapist's theoretical model of reference but rather by their ability to empathize with the patient. In conclusion, this mini-review highlights the significant function of oxytocin as a potential biomarker for assessing the patient-therapist relationship, identifying a biological substrate of the therapeutic alliance.

Identifiers

PMID40553073
PMCPMC12522570

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.