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Relationship Between Oxytocin Level, Trust, and Attachment in Individuals With Borderline Personality Disorder

Relationship Between Oxytocin Level, Trust, and Attachment in Individuals With Borderline Personality Disorder

Status
Not yet recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06045650
Enrollment
92
Registered
2023-09-21
Start date
2024-06-01
Completion date
2025-09-01
Last updated
2024-05-24

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Borderline Personality Disorder

Keywords

oxytocin, borderline personality disorder, trust-related behavior, attachment styles, childhood trauma, emotional sensitivity

Brief summary

We aim to assess the baseline oxytocin levels in individuals with borderline personality disorder and correlate those levels with social behavior, and compare the results with controls. Primary Hypothesis (H1): There is a significant difference in trust-related behavior as measured by oxytocin (OXT) levels between borderline personality disorder (BPD) patients and healthy controls. Secondary Hypotheses: H2: The trust-related behavior in BPD patients is significantly influenced by their level of emotional sensitivity. Specifically, higher emotional sensitivity in BPD patients is associated with lower trust-related behavior and vice-versa. H3: There is a significant correlation between trust-related behavior and childhood trauma in BPD patients. BPD patients with higher levels of reported childhood trauma will exhibit lower trust-related behavior compared to those with lower levels of trauma. H4: Trust-related behavior in BPD patients varies depending on their attachment styles. Specifically, BPD patients with insecure attachment styles will exhibit lower trust-related behavior compared to those with secure attachment styles. H5: There is a significant correlation between trust-related behavior and BPD severity. Patients with more severe BPD symptoms will exhibit lower trust-related behavior compared to those with less severe symptoms. H6: The levels of OXT in BPD patients will significantly correlate with their reported levels of emotional sensitivity, childhood trauma, attachment styles, and BPD severity. These hypotheses aim to address the complexities surrounding the modulation of trust-related behavior by oxytocin in BPD patients, taking into account various factors like emotional sensitivity, childhood adversity, attachment styles, and BPD severity. By testing these hypotheses, the study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between these factors in influencing trust-related behavior in BPD patients.

Interventions

OTHERbaseline serum oxytocin levels

Both cases and controls will be assessed for their baseline serum oxytocin levels

OTHEREmotional Sensitivity test

To assess the level of emotional sensitivity in the participant

OTHERNeuro-economical game

A game played to assess the trust-index of participants

OTHERChildhood Trauma Questionnaire

to assess childhood trauma score

OTHERRelationships Questionnaire

to assess attachment type

To obtain basic data on demographics

Sponsors

State University of New York - Upstate Medical University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective
CROSS_SECTIONAL

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Individuals with borderline personality disorder will qualify as cases * controls will be age, gender matched individuals without any psychiatric/mental health concerns

Exclusion criteria

* for all: pregnancy, hormonal or neurological disorders, and any kind of regular medication * additional

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
Correlation of Oxytocin levels and trust indexDay 1

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026