Photo Credit: freepik

The following is a summary of “Guilt and shame and its relation to oxytocin in patients with depression and alcohol addiction,” published in the April 2025 issue of BMC Psychiatry by Mavrogiorgou et al. 

Guilt and shame shape social interactions and are linked to depressive disorder (DD) or alcohol addiction (AA). Oxytocin may influence these emotions. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study suggesting oxytocin influences socially and morally linked emotions like guilt and shame. 

They examined 85 participants (41 women, 44 men), including 31 with depression (ICD-10: F32.X/F33.X, mean age 35.2, SD=10.7), 23 with alcohol addiction (ICD-10: F10.2, mean age 52.1, SD=9.0), and 31 healthy controls (mean age 39.1, SD=15.0). Interpersonal Guilt Questionnaire (IGQ), SCV scale, Test of Self-Conscious Affects (TOSCA), and Shame Assessment for Multifarious Expressions of shame (SHAME) was used to assess guilt and shame proneness. 

The results showed that patients with DD had increased interpersonal guilt and shame proneness. Patients with AA had the lowest reserve and antidelophilic attitude. Oxytocin values were lowest in patients with AA but were not related to guilt or shame. 

Investigators found that maladaptive guilt and shame were influenced more by individual characteristics than by specific disorders. They suggested incorporating guilt and shame dimensions into psychotherapy. 

Source: bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-025-06762-y