Oxytocin for Couples Conflict Resolution

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2017-03-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Oxytocin is a promising new medication found to have positive effects on prosocial behavior, reduce negative affect such as fear and anxiety, and reduce stress-induced addictive behaviors. This study aims to investigate the extent to which a 40 IU dose of intranasal oxytocin improves couples' conflict resolution skills and subjective, physiological, and neuroendocrine responses to conflict. Conflict resolution discussions will take place in the laboratory and will be videotaped.

• Phase: Phase 2
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Medical University of South Carolina
• Collaborators: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD); National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Treatments: Oxytocin

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. 18-65 years of age

2. both partners are willing to participate, and

3. at least one partner has engaged in hazardous drinking (i.e. 4 or more drinks for women, 6 or more for men) or illicit drug use during the past 60 days

Exclusion Criteria:

1. pregnancy for women

2. current psychotic or bipolar disorders

3. active suicidal or homicidal ideation and intent

4. subjects who would present a serious suicide risk, such as those with severe depression, or who are likely to require hospitalization during the course of the study

5. severe, unilateral intimate partner violence in the past year

6. BMI greater than 39.