Study on the relationship between serum oxytocin levels and social competence in children with autism / 重庆医学

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the difference of serum oxytocin levels between autistic children and healthy children at the age of 3-5,and the relationship between serum oxytocin levels and social competence in children with autism.Methods Twenty-five autistic children and twenty healthy children were tested by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to evaluate the oxytocin levels;the SRS was used to evaluate social competence of children with autism.Results Mann-Whitney test showed there were significantly differences in oxytocin level between autistic children and healthy children(P<0.05).The social competence of autistic children was negatively correlated to oxytocin levels(r=-0.735,P<0.01).Multiple liner regression analyses showed that oxytocin level was an impact factor of the social competence of autistic children(F=11.931,P<0.01).Conclusion This study indicates that the serum oxytocin level maybe a factor which influence the social competence of autistic children.