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van Sleeuwen C, van Zuiden M, Koch SBJ, Frijling JL, Veltman DJ, Olff M, Nawijn L. How does it feel? An exploration of neurobiological and clinical correlates of alexithymia in trauma-exposed police-officers with and without PTSD. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2023; 14:2281187. [PMID: 38154073 PMCID: PMC10990451 DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2023.2281187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Alexithymia, an inability to recognise one's emotions, has been associated with trauma-exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Previous research suggests involvement of the oxytocin system, and socio-emotional neural processes. However, the paucity of neurobiological research on alexithymia, particularly in trauma-exposed populations, warrants further investigation.Objective: Explore associations between alexithymia, endogenous oxytocin levels, and socio-emotional brain function and morphometry in a trauma-exposed sample.Method: Dutch trauma-exposed police officers with (n = 38; 18 females) and without PTSD (n = 40; 20 females) were included. Alexithymia was assessed with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Endogenous salivary oxytocin was assessed during rest, using radioimmunoassay. Amygdala and insula reactivity to socio-emotional stimuli were assessed with functional MRI, amygdala and insula grey matter volume were derived using Freesurfer.Results: Alexithymia was higher in PTSD patients compared to trauma-exposed controls (F(1,70) = 54.031, p < .001). Within PTSD patients, alexithymia was positively associated with PTSD severity (ρ(36) = 0.497, p = .002). Alexithymia was not associated with childhood trauma exposure (β = 0.076, p = .509), police work-related trauma exposure (β = -0.107, p = .355), oxytocin levels (β = -0.164, p = .161), insula (β = -0.170, p = .158) or amygdala (β = -0.175, p = .135) reactivity, or amygdala volume (β = 0.146, p = .209). Insula volume was positively associated with alexithymia (β = 0.222, p = .016), though not significant after multiple testing corrections. Bayesian analyses supported a lack of associations.Conclusions: No convincing neurobiological correlates of alexithymia were observed with any of the markers included in the current study. Yet, the current study confirmed high levels of alexithymia in PTSD patients, independent of trauma-exposure, substantiating alexithymia's relevance in the clinical phenotype of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy van Sleeuwen
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam UMC, Location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Mirjam van Zuiden
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam UMC, Location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Saskia B. J. Koch
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam UMC, Location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Jessie L. Frijling
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam UMC, Location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, OLVG Hospital, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Dick J. Veltman
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam UMC, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Miranda Olff
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam UMC, Location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Arq National Psychotrauma Centre, Diemen, the Netherlands
| | - Laura Nawijn
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam UMC, Location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam UMC, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Pojatić Đ, Nikić D, Tolj I, Pezerović D, Šantić A, Degmečić D. Alexithymia, Phosphorus Levels, and Sleep Disorders in Patients on Hemodialysis. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11113218. [PMID: 35683604 PMCID: PMC9181024 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11113218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Alexithymia, or the inability to distinguish between bodily feelings and emotions, has been linked to poor sleep quality in some studies. Rare studies examined the associations between electrolyte phosphorus in patients on hemodialysis and their sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, and alexithymia with inflammatory factors. Hemodialysis is a treatment method for terminal renal patients that involves the diffusion of unwanted metabolic products through the dialyzer membrane. Our study aimed to examine whether there was a difference in phosphorus levels, inflammatory factors, and daytime sleepiness according to the hemodialysis patients’ levels of alexithymia. The study involved 170 HD patients that had been treated with chronic dialysis for more than three months. Prior to the hemodialysis procedure, laboratory findings were sampled. Respondents completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale 26, and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and were questioned about depression. The results showed that alexithymic HD patients exhibited significantly higher leukocyte counts, lower predialysis phosphorus values, and more pronounced daily sleepiness than the alexithymia-free group (Mann−Whitney U test, p = 0.02, p = 0.005, and p < 0.001, respectively). We concluded that alexithymia was an independent predictor of high daytime sleepiness in HD patients (OR = 1.05, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.09).
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Affiliation(s)
- Đorđe Pojatić
- Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31 000 Osijek, Croatia; (Đ.P.); (I.T.); (D.P.); (A.Š.)
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31 000 Osijek, Croatia
- Department of Internal Medicine, General County Hospital Vinkovci, 32 100 Vinkovci, Croatia
| | - Dajana Nikić
- Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432 As, Norway;
| | - Ivana Tolj
- Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31 000 Osijek, Croatia; (Đ.P.); (I.T.); (D.P.); (A.Š.)
- Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Osijek, 31 000 Osijek, Croatia
| | - Davorin Pezerović
- Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31 000 Osijek, Croatia; (Đ.P.); (I.T.); (D.P.); (A.Š.)
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31 000 Osijek, Croatia
- Department of Internal Medicine, General County Hospital Vinkovci, 32 100 Vinkovci, Croatia
| | - Andrijana Šantić
- Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31 000 Osijek, Croatia; (Đ.P.); (I.T.); (D.P.); (A.Š.)
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Osijek, 31 000 Osijek, Croatia
| | - Dunja Degmečić
- Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31 000 Osijek, Croatia; (Đ.P.); (I.T.); (D.P.); (A.Š.)
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Osijek, 31 000 Osijek, Croatia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +385-31-511794
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Systematic Review of Alexithymia in the Population of Hemodialysis Patients. J Clin Med 2021; 10:jcm10132862. [PMID: 34203282 PMCID: PMC8268782 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10132862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Alexithymia is a construct defined as the inability to differentiate between emotional experiences and bodily sensations. According to existing knowledge, alexithymia may have a major effect on the process of treatment and the outcome of the hemodialysis disease. The objective of this literature review was to determine the significance that alexithymia has for compliance and variables of clinical and mental health in the population of hemodialysis patients. For the above purpose, bibliographic databases “MEDLINE” and “Web of Science” were searched. The matrix method was used in analysis of articles. Searching both databases resulted in 248 articles. After applying exclusion and inclusion criteria, we included results of 13 articles in the literature review. The results of the search are findings regarding the prevalence and correlation of alexithymia with variables of clinical and mental health in hemodialysis patients. Alexithymia is significantly more common in the population of hemodialysis patients, and it has a negative effect on their mental and somatic health. Alexithymia levels in hemodialysis patients are more pronounced in cases where there is a greater number of comorbidities. Alexithymia is the predictor of high mortality rate in the population of hemodialysis patients, independent of other comorbidities.
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Lloyd CS, Stafford E, McKinnon MC, Rabellino D, D'Andrea W, Densmore M, Thome J, Neufeld RWJ, Lanius RA. Mapping alexithymia: Level of emotional awareness differentiates emotion-specific somatosensory maps. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2021; 113:104919. [PMID: 33476805 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Revised: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Emotions have been associated with culturally universal and distinct bodily sensation "maps". Despite this knowledge, to date few studies have explored emotion-specific topography along clinically relevant dimensions, such as alexithymia. OBJECTIVE We aimed to investigate emotion-specific topographies among individuals exposed to childhood maltreatment or neglect with absent (n = 51) or with probable (n = 46) alexithymia in adulthood, as defined by scores on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING Ninety eight adult participants with exposure to childhood maltreatment or neglect were recruited to complete an online survey. METHODS Using the well-validated emBODY tool (Nummenmaa et al., 2014), participants reported on their somatic experience of 17 emotions. RESULTS Random effects analyses revealed topographically distinct bodily sensation t-maps that differentiated participants who endorsed probable alexithymia from those who did not (p-FDR < .05). Consistent with our a priori hypothesis, the probable alexithymia group reported a muted, diffuse and undifferentiated pattern of emotion-specific bodily sensation, whereas the non-alexithymia group reported a more distinct and localized pattern. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that difficulty identifying and labeling emotions, as observed in alexithymia, may arise, in part, from an altered perception of somatic activation. It is well-established that childhood maltreatment predicts the development of alexithymia symptoms. The preliminary findings presented here expand our working understanding of the physical markers of childhood trauma, which may be used in practice to aid detection and to monitor treatment outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chantelle S Lloyd
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Mood Disorders Program, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Homewood Research Institute, Homewood Health, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Erin Stafford
- The New School for Social Research, New York, NY, USA
| | - Margaret C McKinnon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Mood Disorders Program, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Homewood Research Institute, Homewood Health, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Daniela Rabellino
- Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Imaging Department, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Maria Densmore
- Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Imaging Department, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Janine Thome
- Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Theoretical Neuroscience, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Richard W J Neufeld
- Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ruth A Lanius
- Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Imaging Department, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada; Homewood Research Institute, Homewood Health, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
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Aluja A, Malas O, Urieta P, Worner F, Balada F. Biological correlates of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) in cardiovascular disease and healthy community subjects. Physiol Behav 2020; 227:113151. [PMID: 32841673 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
This research studies the relationship between Alexithymia, behavioural, biometric, biochemical and cardiovascular risk in clinical and healthy samples. There were 602 participants (mean age of 52.82 ± 10.59) divided into two groups. The first was made up of 202 patients (165 males and 37 females) who had suffered a cardiovascular disease (CVD), while the second was composed of 400 (285 males and 115 females) healthy volunteers without CVD diagnosis. A cardiovascular risk index (CRI) was developed with the high factorial loading of the following variables: systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol/HDL, triglycerides, body mass index, glucose and alcohol and tobacco consumption. The results showed a significant correlation between Alexithymia and the CRI. After controlling for age, sex, occupation, alcohol and tobacco consumption, this correlation decreased, but remained significant for most values. Alexithymia predicted 6% of CRI in the entire sample, once age and sex effect were discounted. Alexithymic subjects with scores above a cut-off point set at higher than 60 had higher levels of glucose, systolic, diastolic, cholesterol/HDL and cardiovascular risk. We discuss that Alexithymia scores contribute to cardiovascular risk, supporting previous findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton Aluja
- University of Lleida, Catalonia, Spain; Institute of Biomedical Research, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Olga Malas
- Institute of Biomedical Research, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Patricia Urieta
- University of Lleida, Catalonia, Spain; Institute of Biomedical Research, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Fernando Worner
- Institute of Biomedical Research, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain; Cardiology Service of the Hospital Arnau de Vilanova de Lleida, Spain
| | - Ferran Balada
- Institute of Biomedical Research, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Catalonia. Spain
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Shayeghian Z, Moeineslam M, Hajati E, Karimi M, Amirshekari G, Amiri P. The relation of alexithymia and attachment with type 1 diabetes management in adolescents: a gender-specific analysis. BMC Psychol 2020; 8:30. [PMID: 32252831 PMCID: PMC7137281 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-020-00396-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several studies indicate the role of psychosocial factors in the management and control of chronic diseases in adolescents. In this regard, the roles of attachment and alexithymia in the management of type 1 diabetes in adolescents and related gender-specific patterns have rarely been the focus of empirical research. In this study we investigate the gender-specific relationship of alexithymia and attachment with self-care and blood glucose level in adolescents with type1 diabetes. METHODS This is a cross-sectional study conducted on adolescents aged 12-18 years, with type 1 diabetes. Participants were recruited from diabetes clinics and the Iranian Diabetes Society. Data were collected using the Farsi versions of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (FTAS-20), the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) and the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities Scale (SDSCA). Blood glucose levels were measured by determining HbA1c which were abstracted from medical records. Data were analyzed using SPSS21 software. RESULTS Participants were 150 adolescents (57% female), mean age 14.97 ± 2.30. Alexithymia (β = 0.10, P = 0.01), difficulty identifying feelings (β = 0.15, P = 0.03) and communication with mothers (β = - 0.08, P = 0.03) predicted HbA1c in girls, whereas no significant relationships were observed for HbA1c with alexithymia and attachment in boys. Factors that predicted self-care in girls were alexithymia (β = - 0.04, P = 0.02), difficulty identifying feelings (β = - 0.06, P = 0.04); in boys however in addition to these two factors predicting self-care [alexithymia (β = - 0.07, P = 0.01) and difficulty identifying feelings (β = - 0.11, P = 0.01)], we also found difficulty describing feelings (β = - 0.16, P = 0.02), communication with mother (β = 0.04, P = 0.04), alienation to mother (β = - 0.06, P = 0.03), to father (β = - 0.06, P = 0.01) and to peers (β = - 0.09, P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that, in a gender-specific pattern, alexithymia and attachment could affect self-care and blood glucose level in adolescents with type 1 diabetes; findings that can be used to facilitate more effective treatment strategies and interventions in this age group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeinab Shayeghian
- Research Center for Social Determinants of Health, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, P.O.Box: 19395-4763, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mina Moeineslam
- Research Center for Social Determinants of Health, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, P.O.Box: 19395-4763, Tehran, Iran
| | - Elnaz Hajati
- Research Center for Social Determinants of Health, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, P.O.Box: 19395-4763, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehrdad Karimi
- Research Center for Social Determinants of Health, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, P.O.Box: 19395-4763, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Golshan Amirshekari
- Research Center for Social Determinants of Health, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, P.O.Box: 19395-4763, Tehran, Iran
| | - Parisa Amiri
- Research Center for Social Determinants of Health, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, P.O.Box: 19395-4763, Tehran, Iran.
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Cimino S, Simonelli A, Parolin M, Ballarotto G, Carbone P, Cerniglia L. A Theoretical and Empirical Linkage between Road Accidents and Binge Eating Behaviors in Adolescence. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2018; 15:ijerph15020355. [PMID: 29462976 PMCID: PMC5858424 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15020355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2017] [Revised: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed at identifying specific clusters of maladaptive emotional–behavioral symptoms in adolescent victims of motorbike collisions considering their scores on alexithymia and impulsivity in addition to examining the prevalence of clinical binge eating behaviors (respectively through the Youth Self-Report (YSR), Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11), and Binge Eating Scale (BES)). Emotional–behavioral profiles, difficulties in identifying and describing feelings, impulsivity, and binge eating behaviors have been assessed in 159 adolescents addressing emergency departments following motorbike collisions. Our results showed a cluster of adolescents with clinical binge eating behaviors, high rates of motorbike accidents, and high levels of internalizing and externalizing problems, alexithymia, and impulsivity (23.3% of the sample); a second cluster of adolescents with clinical binge eating behaviors, a moderate number of collisions, and moderate levels of emotional and behavioral problems on the above four dimensions (25.8% of the sample); and a third cluster of youth without clinical binge eating behaviors, with a moderate number of accidents, and with low scores on the four dimensions (50.9% of the sample). Adolescents of Cluster 1 showed a higher likelihood to be involved in motorbike collisions than the youth in Clusters 2 and 3 (p < 0.0001). We suggest that adolescents’ motor collisions could be associated with their difficulties in emotion regulation and with their impaired psychological profiles, which could also underpin their disordered eating. The identification of specific clusters of psychopathological symptoms among this population could be useful for the construction of prevention and intervention programs aimed at reducing motor collision recidivism and alleviating co-occurring psychopathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Cimino
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, University of Rome "Sapienza", Rome 00100, Italy.
| | - Alessandra Simonelli
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padua, Padua 35100, Italy.
| | - Micol Parolin
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padua, Padua 35100, Italy.
| | - Giulia Ballarotto
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, University of Rome "Sapienza", Rome 00100, Italy.
| | - Paola Carbone
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, University of Rome "Sapienza", Rome 00100, Italy.
| | - Luca Cerniglia
- Department of Psychology, International Telematic University, Rome 00100, Italy.
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Alexithymia and non-treatment: an Internet based study of 312 people with chronic anxiety. Compr Psychiatry 2014; 55:179-87. [PMID: 23916091 DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2013.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2012] [Revised: 05/31/2013] [Accepted: 06/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite the availability of highly efficacious treatments, many individuals with anxiety disorders never receive adequate treatment. Alexithymic deficits, such as difficulties in recognizing feelings and focusing on emotional experiences, may contribute to low rates of help seeking. METHODS Multiple Internet-based strategies (announcements of anxiety disorder websites, postings in online self-help forums, notices in anxiety chat rooms) were used to recruit a sample of 312 participants with chronic and clinically relevant anxiety symptoms. Those who had never received professional treatment (n = 49) were compared to those with current or previous treatment (n=263) with regard to alexithymia, anxiety, depression and health-related quality of life. RESULTS Logistic regression analysis revealed that the strongest predictor for belonging to the never treated group was the externally oriented thinking facet of alexithymia. In addition, substantially more participants in the never treated group (49%) were considered high-alexithymic (20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale total score ≥ 61) compared to the treated group (35%). CONCLUSIONS The main finding was a strong relationship between the externally oriented thinking facet of alexithymia and the non-use of professional help for anxiety. Internet-based programs could be a promising first step in supporting this group of people to overcome their anxiety.
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Karşikaya S, Kavakci Ö, Kuğu N, Güler AS. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Migraine Patients: Migraine, Trauma and Alexithymia. NORO PSIKIYATRI ARSIVI 2013; 50:263-268. [PMID: 28360553 DOI: 10.4274/npa.y6611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2012] [Accepted: 05/30/2012] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In recent studies, it has been suggested that there is a relationship between migraine headaches and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The PTSD has not been diagnosed by a clinician in these studies; the evaluation has been carried out by the screening scales. Besides, it has also been asserted that there was relationship of alexithymia with migraine and other chronic painful disorders. In this study, our aim was to investigate the prevalence of clinically-diagnosed PTSD and alexithymic features among migraine patients. METHODS Sixty consecutive migraine patients sent from neurology clinic and 60 healthy controls having similar features constituted the sample of this study. SCID-I/CV PTSD module and the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) was administered to the sample. The subjects also filled in the socio-demographic data form and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS). The level of pain perceived by the migraine patients was evaluated using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). RESULT 17 subjects (28%) in the migraine group and 5 individuals (8.3%) in the control group were diagnosed with PTSD. Hence, PTSD was found to be statistically significantly higher in the migraine group. 25 persons in the migraine group (41.6%) and 12 in the control group (20%) scored above the TAS cutoff score in terms of alexithymic features. Alexithymia was found to be statistically significantly higher in the migraine group). In the migraine group, VAS scores of the ones with PTSD were statistically significantly higher compared to that in ones without PTSD. 94% of the persons diagnosed with PTSD in the migraine group reported that their migraine headaches started after a traumatic experience. In the migraine group, no statistically significant correlation was detected between CAPS and VAS scores in subjects with PTSD. CONCLUSION In migraine patients, PTSD and alexithymic features have been found higher than in the healthy controls. Further studies are needed to search whether the practices aimed at treating the PTSD and alexithymic features can contribute to the treatment of migraine headaches or not.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Önder Kavakci
- Cumhuriyet University Medical Faculty, Department of Psychiatry Clinic, Sivas, Turkey
| | - Nesim Kuğu
- Cumhuriyet University Medical Faculty, Department of Psychiatry Clinic, Sivas, Turkey
| | - Ayşegül Selcen Güler
- Cumhuriyet University Medical Faculty, Department of Psychiatry Clinic, Sivas, Turkey
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Porcelli P, Guidi J, Sirri L, Grandi S, Grassi L, Ottolini F, Pasquini P, Picardi A, Rafanelli C, Rigatelli M, Sonino N, Fava GA. Alexithymia in the medically ill. Analysis of 1190 patients in gastroenterology, cardiology, oncology and dermatology. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 2013; 35:521-7. [PMID: 23664571 DOI: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2013.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2013] [Revised: 04/04/2013] [Accepted: 04/08/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To use the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research (DCPR) for characterizing alexithymia in a large and heterogeneous medical population, in conjunction with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) and other DCPR criteria. METHOD Of 1305 patients recruited from 4 medical centers in the Italian Health System, 1190 agreed to participate. They all underwent an assessment with DSM-IV and DCPR structured interviews. A total of 188 patients (15.8%) were defined as alexithymic by using the DCPR criteria. Data were submitted to cluster analysis. RESULTS Five clusters of patients with alexithymia were identified: (1) alexithymia with no psychiatric comorbidity (29.3% of cases); (2) depressed somatization with alexithymic features (23.4%); (3) alexithymic illness behavior (17.6%); (4) alexithymic somatization (17%) and (5) alexithymic anxiety (12.8%). CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that DCPR alexithymia is associated with a comorbid mood or anxiety disorder in about one third of cases; it is related to various forms of somatization and abnormal illness behavior in another third and may occur without psychiatric comorbidity in another subgroup. Identification of alexithymic features may entail major prognostic and therapeutic differences among medical patients who otherwise seem to be deceptively similar since they share the same psychiatric and/or medical diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piero Porcelli
- Psychosomatic Unit, IRCCS De Bellis Hospital, Castellana Grotte, Italy.
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Gender differences in attitudes impeding colorectal cancer screening. BMC Public Health 2013; 13:500. [PMID: 23706029 PMCID: PMC3672022 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2012] [Accepted: 04/08/2013] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) is the only type of cancer screening where both genders reduce risks by similar proportions with identical procedures. It is an important context for examining gender differences in disease-prevention, as CRCS significantly reduces mortality via early detection and prevention. In efforts to increase screening adherence, there is increasing acknowledgment that obstructive attitudes prevent CRCS uptake. Precise identification of the gender differences in obstructive attitudes is necessary to improve uptake promotion. This study randomly sampled unscreened, screening - eligible individuals in Ontario, employing semi-structured interviews to elicit key differences in attitudinal obstructions towards colorectal cancer screening with the aim of deriving informative differences useful in planning promotions of screening uptake. Methods N = 81 participants (49 females, 32 males), 50 years and above, with no prior CRCS, were contacted via random-digit telephone dialing, and consented via phone-mail contact. Altogether, N = 4,459 calls were made to yield N = 85 participants (1.9% response rate) of which N = 4 participants did not complete interviews. All subjects were eligible for free-of-charge CRCS in Ontario, and each was classified, via standard interview by CRCS screening decision-stage. Telephone-based, semi-structured interviews (SSIs) were employed to investigate gender differences in CRCS attitudes, using questions focused on 5 attitudinal domains: 1) Screening experience at the time of interview; 2) Barriers to adherence; 3) Predictors of Adherence; 4) Pain-anxiety experiences related to CRCS; 5) Gender-specific experiences re: CRCS, addressing all three modalities accessible through Ontario’s program: a) fecal occult blood testing; b) flexible sigmoidoscopy; c) colonoscopy. Results Interview transcript analyses indicated divergent themes related to CRCS for each gender: 1) bodily intrusion, 2) perforation anxiety, and 3) embarrassment for females and; 1) avoidant procrastination with underlying fatalism, 2) unnecessary health care and 3) uncomfortable vulnerability for males. Respondents adopted similar attitudes towards fecal occult blood testing, flexible sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy, and were comparable in decision stage across tests. Gender differences were neither closely tied to screening stage nor modality. Women had more consistent physician relationships, were more screening-knowledgeable and better able to articulate views on screening. Men reported less consistent physician relationships, were less knowledgeable and kept decision-making processes vague and emotionally distanced (i.e. at ‘arm’s length’). Conclusions Marked differences were observed in obstructive CRCS attitudes per gender. Females articulated reservations about CRCS-associated distress and males suppressed negative views while ambiguously procrastinating about the task of completing screening. Future interventions could seek to reduce CRCS-related stress (females) and address the need to overcome procrastination (males).
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Boinon D, Sultan S, Charles C, Rosberger Z, Delaloge S, Dauchy S. How Social Sharing and Social Support Explain Distress in Breast Cancer After Surgery: The Role of Alexithymia. J Psychosoc Oncol 2012; 30:573-92. [DOI: 10.1080/07347332.2012.703769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Alexithymia and anxiety sensitivity in patients with non-cardiac chest pain. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2011; 42:432-9. [PMID: 21570932 PMCID: PMC3152650 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2011.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2010] [Revised: 03/28/2011] [Accepted: 04/05/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine independent and combined influences of alexithymia and anxiety sensitivity on chest pain and life interference in patients with non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP). Theories of NCCP posit a central role for emotion in the experience of chest pain, however, studies have not examined how alexithymia characterized by a difficulty identifying or verbalizing emotions, may influence this relationship. This study examined 231 patients (56% females, M age=50 years) with chest pain seeking cardiac evaluation, who showed no abnormalities during exercise tolerance testing. Forty percent (40%) scored at or above the moderate range of alexithymia. Whereas health care utilization was associated with elevated alexithymia among men, health care utilization was associated with elevated anxiety sensitivity among women. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that alexithymia and anxiety sensitivity were both uniquely and independently associated with pain severity and life interference due to pain. Alexithymia-pain links were stronger for men compared to women. Secondary analyses conducted with a subsample suggest that alexithymia may be increasingly stable over time (i.e., 18-month follow-up). Findings are largely congruent with theoretical models of NCCP showing that personality and emotional factors are important in this medically unexplained syndrome.
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Vazquez I, Sández E, González-Freire B, Romero-Frais E, Blanco-Aparicio M, Verea-Hernando H. The role of alexithymia in quality of life and health care use in asthma. J Asthma 2010; 47:797-804. [PMID: 20528585 DOI: 10.3109/02770900903560217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alexithymia is a personality trait characterized by difficulties in perceiving and expressing emotions. The relationship between alexithymia and health outcomes in asthma has been shown in a scarce number of studies, in which alexithymia has been considered as an homogeneous construct and the confounding potential effect of anxiety and depression has not been controlled for. OBJECTIVES To determine the relationship between each of the three dimensions of alexithymia as assessed with the Twenty-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale--Difficulty Identifying Feelings, Difficulty Describing Feelings, and Externally Oriented Thinking--and health-related quality of life and utilization of health care services, controlling anxiety and depression. METHODS Patients with moderate to severe asthma between 18 and 65 years old filled in the Twenty-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Short-Form 36 Health Survey, the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire, the Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Cognitive Depression Index. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected and the frequency of emergency room visits and hospitalizations due to asthma during the following 24 months was recorded. Data were analyzed using the ?2 test, the Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman correlations and multiple linear regression analyses. RESULTS A total of 76 patients took part in the study (42.67 ± 15.33 years; 59.2% female; 81.6% severe asthma). Data on emergency room visits during the 24-month follow-up were collected for 42 patients; 13 of them (30.95%) with at least one emergency room visit during the follow-up. After controlling for sociodemographic variables, clinical variables, anxiety, and depression, the Difficulty Describing Feelings factor was related to dimensions of the Short-Form 36 Health Survey: Physical Functioning (p = .021), Role-Physical (p = 0.025), and the Physical Component Score (p = .012). The Difficulty Identifying Feelings factor was associated with a higher frequency of emergency room visits (p = .005). The Externally Oriented Thinking factor was not related to any of the dependent measures. CONCLUSIONS Two dimensions of alexithymia, Difficulty Identifying Feelings and Difficulty Describing Feelings, are complicating factors in the management of asthma, but they operate via different mechanisms and over different outcomes and the effects of alexithymia remain even while controlling for the confounding effect of anxiety and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Vazquez
- Facultad de Psicología, Psicología Clínica y Psicobiología, Campus Universitario Sur, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
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Villani V, Di Stani F, Vanacore N, Scattoni L, Cerbo R, Bruti G. The “Repeater” Phenomenon in Migraine Patients: A Clinical and Psychometric study. Headache 2010; 50:348-56. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2009.01585.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Stephenson R, Royce J. The incidence of alexithymia in physiotherapy outpatients. Physiother Theory Pract 2009. [DOI: 10.1080/095939899307658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Mattila AK, Saarni SI, Salminen JK, Huhtala H, Sintonen H, Joukamaa M. Alexithymia and health-related quality of life in a general population. PSYCHOSOMATICS 2009; 50:59-68. [PMID: 19213974 DOI: 10.1176/appi.psy.50.1.59] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alexithymia is thought to reflect a deficit in the cognitive processing of emotion, and, therefore, it may predispose individuals to both psychological and somatic symptoms. OBJECTIVE The authors investigated the relationship between alexithymia and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a nationally representative population sample of 5,418 subjects, age 30 to 97 years. METHOD Alexithymia was measured with the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and HRQoL measured with the 15D, a generic HRQoL measure. RESULTS Alexithymia was significantly associated with lower HRQoL independently of other variables. The TAS-20 subfactor Difficulties Identifying Feelings was the strongest common denominator between alexithymia and HRQoL. CONCLUSION Alexithymia may be a predisposing factor to poorer HRQoL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aino K Mattila
- Tampere School of Public Health, FIN-33014, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE Even though the association between alexithymia and somatization seems plausible according to several studies with selected populations, it has not been verified in carefully controlled and nationally representative population studies. We conducted such a study to find out whether alexithymia is associated with somatization at population level. METHODS This study was a part of the Finnish Health 2000 Study. The nationally representative sample comprised 5129 subjects aged 30 to 97 years. Alexithymia was measured with the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and somatic symptom reporting with the 12-item somatization scale derived from the Hopkins Symptom Checklist. Sociodemographic and health-related variables, including depressive and anxiety disorders, and physician verified somatic diagnoses, were treated as confounders in multivariate analyses. RESULTS Alexithymia was associated with somatization independently of somatic diseases, depression and anxiety and confounding sociodemographic variables. The TAS-20 factor scale "Difficulties Identifying Feelings" was the strongest common denominator between alexithymia and somatization. CONCLUSIONS This was the first time the independent association between alexithymia and somatization was established in a large, nationally representative nonclinical sample of both young and old adults with and without mental disorders and somatic diseases.
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Masmoudi J, Maalej I, Masmoudi A, Rached H, Rebai A, Turki H, Jaoua A. [Alexithymia and psoriasis: a case-control study of 53 patients]. Encephale 2008; 35:10-7. [PMID: 19250988 DOI: 10.1016/j.encep.2007.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2007] [Accepted: 11/27/2007] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Alexithymia was originally defined as the inability to recognize and verbalize emotions. It is characterized by an emptiness of feelings, poverty of imagination or of a life fantasy and difficulties in communicating with other people, as well as lack of positive emotions and a high prevalence of negative emotions. Its presence has been incriminated in the genesis and in the maintenance of various psychosomatic pathologies. Psoriasis, a frequent dermatitis, is classified among psychosomatic pathologies. In fact, the psychological dimension seems important, either in the appearance of the illness, in its evolution or in its prognosis. AIMS OF THE STUDY Estimate the prevalence of alexithymia among patients with psoriasis. Study the relationship between them. PATIENTS' CHARACTERISTICS: Fifty-three patients with psoriasis consulted the Dermatology Department of the Hedi Chaker University Hospital, in Sfax, Tunisia. Patients' mean age was 42 years (min: 18 years; max: 76 years). The majority was married (58%), coming from middle to low social economic status (86%), and having a primary or secondary school level (84%). Psoriasis was vulgar for 47 patients (89%) and pustular for the others (11%). METHODOLOGY We built a case-control study of 53 patients with psoriasis. The control group was formed of 53 subjects without psoriasis and paired according sex, age and school level. We evaluated psoriasis severity using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), a standardised instrument permitting assessment of the global severity of psoriasis. A cut off of 12 was used to diagnose severe psoriasis. Alexithymia was assessed with the 20-item version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). This instrument has shown to be the best validated instrument for measuring alexithymia. A cut off of 61 was used to diagnose alexithymia. Sociodemographical and clinical data were assessed by a questionnaire that was filled in by the doctor conducting the study. All analyses were performed using the SPSS version 11.0 and with a 95% confidence interval. Differences in groups were tested using student's independent t-test, and Chi-square. RESULTS The mean score of alexithymia for the patients was 56 (E: 12.1). The mean score of alexithymia for the control group was 45 (E: 9.6). Thirty-nine decimal six percent (n: 21) of patients and 13.2% (n: 7) of controls exhibited alexithymia. Our results confirm the high prevalence of alexithymia among patients with psoriasis (39.6%) compared to controls (13.2%) (p: 0.0002, RR: 3.4). A stress factor was present before the apparition of psoriasis in half of the cases. Psoriasis was severe in 50% of cases. Women with psoriasis (and not men) presented severe psoriasis when they suffered from alexithymia (p: 0.049). The relationship between alexithymia and age was significant from the age of 40 (p: 0.024). The association between psoriasis and another psychosomatic diseases was significantly more important than for the controls (p: 0.03; RR: 4.6). Psoriasis was not correlated to psychoactive substance (tobacco and alcohol, in our study). However, in the group of patients with alexithymia, alcohol consumption was associated with psoriasis severity (p: 0.05). DISCUSSION In alexithymia, there is a risk that physical and emotional feelings will be used without distinction as signs of psychological distress, which can explain the somatic complaint due to the lack of the expression of psychological suffering. This can lead to the apparition of psoriasis. The relationship between psoriasis and alexithymia is increasingly studied in epidemiological surveys that use different instruments to measure alexithymia. However, the results of these surveys do not concord with ours. Our results demonstrated a close link between the two conditions. Moreover, the risk of further psychosomatic diseases increases in the presence of alexithymia. The consumption of alcohol was also high in cases of severe forms of psoriasis. CONCLUSION Alexithymia does not appear to be a simple condition, related to psoriasis, but a worsening of the condition, exposing the patient to the association of other psychosomatic diseases and alcoholism, and thus worsening the global prognosis of these patients. The psychological approach, which favours the expression of emotions and permits a symbolic dimension, is as important as the biological approach, and necessary for the improvement of these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Masmoudi
- Service de psychiatrie A, CHU Hédi Chaker, 3029 Sfax, Tunisie.
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Lumley MA, Neely LC, Burger AJ. The assessment of alexithymia in medical settings: implications for understanding and treating health problems. J Pers Assess 2008; 89:230-46. [PMID: 18001224 DOI: 10.1080/00223890701629698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 302] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The construct of alexithymia encompasses the characteristics of difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, externally oriented thinking, and a limited imaginal capacity. These characteristics are thought to reflect deficits in the cognitive processing and regulation of emotions and to contribute to the onset or maintenance of several medical and psychiatric disorders. In this article, we review recent methods for assessing alexithymia and examine how assessing alexithymia can inform clinical practice. Alexithymia is associated with heightened physiological arousal, the tendency to notice and report physical symptoms, and unhealthy compulsive behaviors. Alexithymic patients may respond poorly to psychological treatments, although perhaps not to cognitive-behavioral techniques, and it is unclear whether alexithymia can be improved through treatment. Interpretive problems regarding alexithymia include its overlap with other traits, whether it is secondary to illness or trauma, the possibility of subtypes, and low correlations among multiple measures. Nonetheless, we encourage the assessment of alexithymia in applied settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Lumley
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202, USA.
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Speranza M, Loas G, Wallier J, Corcos M. Predictive value of alexithymia in patients with eating disorders: a 3-year prospective study. J Psychosom Res 2007; 63:365-71. [PMID: 17905043 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2007.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2007] [Revised: 02/27/2007] [Accepted: 03/06/2007] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Several cross-sectional studies have reported high levels of alexithymia in populations with eating disorders. However, only few studies, fraught with multiple methodological biases, have assessed the prognostic value of alexithymic features in these disorders. The aim of the present study was to investigate the long-term prognostic value of alexithymic features in a sample of patients with eating disorders. METHODS Within the framework of a European research project on eating disorders (INSERM Network No. 494013), we conducted a 3-year longitudinal study exploring a sample of 102 DSM-IV eating disorder patients using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Beck Depression Inventory. RESULTS At the 3-year assessment, 74% (n=76) of the sample still presented a syndromal or subsyndromal eating disorder (unfavorable outcome: score of > or =3 on the Psychiatric Status Rating Scale for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa). In logistic and hierarchical regression analyses, the Difficulty Identifying Feelings factor of the TAS-20 emerged as a significant predictor of treatment outcome, independent of depressive symptoms and eating disorder severity. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study indicate that difficulty in identifying feelings can act as a negative prognostic factor of the long-term outcome of patients with eating disorders. Professionals should carefully monitor emotional identification and expression in patients with eating disorders and develop specific strategies to encourage labeling and sharing of emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Speranza
- Department of Child Psychiatry, Centre Hospitalier de Versailes, Versailes, France.
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Jonassaint CR, Boyle SH, Williams RB, Mark DB, Siegler IC, Barefoot JC. Facets of openness predict mortality in patients with cardiac disease. Psychosom Med 2007; 69:319-22. [PMID: 17510289 DOI: 10.1097/psy.0b013e318052e27d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI) Openness to Experience (O) domain and its facets as predictors of cardiac deaths and all-cause mortality. METHODS The NEO PI was administered to a sample of 977 coronary catheterization patients with significant coronary artery disease. Over an average 15-year follow-up period, 266 cardiac deaths and 463 total deaths occurred. The relationships of O scores to mortality were examined with Cox proportional hazard models. Each model included age, left ventricular ejection fraction, severity of congestive heart failure, and number of diseased vessels as covariates. RESULTS The O domain score was not associated with all-cause mortality and only approached significance for decreased cardiac deaths (p = .055). However, a higher score for Openness to Feelings was associated with a decreased risk of cardiac death (p < .01) and all-cause mortality (p < .01). High Openness to Actions was also associated with decreased cardiac mortality (p < .01) and all-cause mortality (p = .03) risk. Higher Openness to Aesthetics and Ideas were only associated with decreased cardiac death risk (both p values <.04). In contrast, Openness to Fantasy and Values were not associated with longevity. Previous evidence suggested that educational achievement may account for the effects of Openness to Experience on mortality; however, controlling for educational achievement did not change the results. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that greater emotional awareness and high curiosity, as indicated by the NEO PI Feelings and Actions facets, are associated with increased patient longevity independently of other risk factors and educational achievement.
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Miller MW, Resick PA. Internalizing and externalizing subtypes in female sexual assault survivors: implications for the understanding of complex PTSD. Behav Ther 2007; 38:58-71. [PMID: 17292695 PMCID: PMC2977529 DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2006.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2005] [Accepted: 04/19/2006] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This study replicated and extended findings of internalizing and externalizing subtypes of posttraumatic psychopathology (Miller, M. W., Greif, J. L., & Smith, A. A. (2003). Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire profiles of veterans with traumatic combat exposure: Internalizing and externalizing subtypes. Psychological Assessment, 15, 205-215; Miller, M. W., Kaloupek, D. G., Dillon, A. L., & Keane, T.M. (2004). Externalizing and internalizing subtypes of combat-related PTSD: A replication and extension using the PSY-5 Scales. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 113, 636-645) to a female sample of rape survivors with chronic PTSD. Cluster analyses of Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality (Clark, L. A. (1996). SNAP-Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality: Manual for administration, scoring, and interpretation. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.) temperament scale profiles from 143 women with PTSD partitioned the sample into a simple PTSD cluster, defined by normal range personality scores and moderate symptomatology, and 2 more "complex" clusters distinguished by more severe tendencies towards externalizing or internalizing psychopathology. Externalizers were characterized by disinhibition, substance dependence, and Cluster B personality disorder features; internalizers by low positive temperament, high rates of major depressive disorder, and elevations on measures of schizoid and avoidant personality disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark W Miller
- National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, and Boston University, MA 02130, USA.
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Luminet O, de Timary P, Buysschaert M, Luts A. The role of alexithymia factors in glucose control of persons with type 1 diabetes: a pilot study. DIABETES & METABOLISM 2006; 32:417-24. [PMID: 17110896 DOI: 10.1016/s1262-3636(07)70299-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To clarify the respective contribution of demographic characteristics, health conditions and three psychological variables (depression, anxiety, alexithymia) for glycaemic control measured by glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty-four persons diagnosed with type 1 diabetes completed psychological measures and demographic information at admission (T1) to the hospital and in a follow-up (+8 weeks) (T2). Additional information about their health conditions was also considered. RESULTS At T1, the alexithymia factor "difficulties describing feelings" (DDF) predicted HbA1c over and above the predictive power of demographic information, health conditions, anxiety, and depression. Additionally, higher decrease in HbA1c from T1 to T2 was predicted by higher scores on the alexithymia factor DDF at admission over and above the other predictors. CONCLUSION DDF is an important predictor of glucose control. Scoring higher on this factor is related to poorer glycaemic control at admission. Additionally, people with higher scores on this factor seem to benefit highly from the treatment administered at the hospital.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Luminet
- Université catholique de Louvain, Department of Psychology, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
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Bermond B, Vorst HCM, Moormann PP. Cognitive neuropsychology of alexithymia: implications for personality typology. Cogn Neuropsychiatry 2006; 11:332-60. [PMID: 17354075 DOI: 10.1080/13546800500368607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION We examine the cognitive neuroscience of the five components of the alexithymia syndrome, and propose a classification of alexithymia types based on psychobiological traits. METHOD Literature review. RESULTS The following neural structures have been shown to be prominent in emotional function: right and left hemisphere, corpus callosum, anterior commissure, anterior cingulate, prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and insular cortex. The specific relevance of these structures to alexithymia is discussed. CONCLUSIONS The following conclusions and/or propositions are presented: The right hemisphere produces a global, nonverbal overview of emotional information; the left hemisphere seems dedicated to analysing emotions and higher explicit emotional cognitions. Both orbitoprefrontal cortices are important in affective aspects of alexithymia, while right temporal cortex is involved in cognitive aspects. Two subparts of anterior cingulate fulfil functions in the affective and cognitive dimensions of alexithymia. The amygdalae are involved in both cognitive and affective aspects. All structures mentioned can modulate one another. The role of interhemispheric information transfer via the corpus callosum and the anterior commissure is also discussed. The evidence that that cognitive processing of emotional information inhibits affective processing of such information is discussed in terms of its implications for a theory of alexithymia subtypes.
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McLean LM, Toner B, Jackson J, Desrocher M, Stuckless N. The relationship between childhood sexual abuse, complex post-traumatic stress disorder and alexithymia in two outpatient samples: examination of women treated in community and institutional clinics. JOURNAL OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE 2006; 15:1-17. [PMID: 16893816 DOI: 10.1300/j070v15n03_01] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Relationships between trauma variables, complex post-traumatic stress disorder (complex PTSD), affect dysregulation, dissociation, somatization, and alexithymia were studied in 70 women with early-onset sexual abuse treated in community-based private (n = 25) or clinic outpatient settings (n = 45). Measures were the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 and the Psychological Trauma Assessment Program. Compared with the community sample, the clinic sample (1) met diagnostic criteria for both lifetime and current complex PTSD; (2) showed correlations between current affect dysregulation, dissociation, and somatization with alexithymia; and (3) higher levels of alexithymia. Results suggest the clinic sample continued to experience current forms of suffering, risk, and vulnerability associated with early-onset sexual trauma. The findings may have implications regarding types of treatment available in community versus clinic settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda M McLean
- Princess Margaret Hospital, Psychosocial Oncology & Palliative Care, Room 16-755, 610 University Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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De Berardis D, Campanella D, Gambi F, Sepede G, Salini G, Carano A, La Rovere R, Pelusi L, Penna L, Cicconetti A, Cotellessa C, Salerno RM, Ferro FM. Insight and alexithymia in adult outpatients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2005; 255:350-8. [PMID: 15711867 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-005-0573-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2004] [Accepted: 12/09/2004] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To elucidate the relationships between insight and alexithymia in a sample of adult outpatients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). METHODS 112 adult outpatients with OCD were tested. Severity of OCD was assessed with the first 10-items of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and score for item # 11 on the Y-BOCS was considered as a measure of insight. Alexithymia was measured with 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Additional measures were Maudsley Hospital Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (MOCI) and Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). RESULTS Of the patients, 29.5% showed poor or no insight. Patients with poor or no insight were more alexithymic than patients with excellent, good and moderate insight. TAS-20 total score and subfactors positively correlated with score for item # 11 on the Y-BOCS, severity of OCD and MADRS scores. In stepwise regression model, MADRS scores, factor 3 of TAS-20 (Externally Oriented Thinking), somatic and hoarding-saving obsessions were significantly associated with lower insight. CONCLUSIONS Results show a relationship between poor or absent insight and high alexithymia levels in OCD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domenico De Berardis
- Department of Oncology and Neurosciences, Institute of Psychiatry, University G.D'Annunzio of Chieti Palazzina SE.BI., Scuole di Specializzazione, via dei Vestini, 31, 66013, Chieti, Italy.
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Subic-Wrana C, Bruder S, Thomas W, Lane RD, Köhle K. Emotional awareness deficits in inpatients of a psychosomatic ward: a comparison of two different measures of alexithymia. Psychosom Med 2005; 67:483-9. [PMID: 15911914 DOI: 10.1097/01.psy.0000160461.19239.13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The TAS 20 has demonstrated strong psychometric properties in a broad variety of studies in healthy populations. Much less work has been done in clinical contexts exploring the validity of the TAS 20 as a measure of the cognitive processing of emotions. The TAS 20, a self-report scale, tends to correlate with self-reported negative affect, but in a clinical context it is important to be able to differentiate between negative affect and the cognitive processing of emotion. We therefore used the TAS 20 and a performance measure, the Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS), which in previous studies demonstrated no overlap with measures of negative affect, to explore the ability of the two measures to detect deficits in emotional awareness in a clinical sample. METHODS Data from inpatients of a psychosomatic ward were collected at onset (N = 394) and at the end of multimodal psychodynamic treatment (N = 249). The sample consisted of six diagnostic groups (depression; anxiety and compulsive-obsessive disorders, adjustment disorders, somatoform disorders, psychological factors related to somatic disorders, eating disorders). Changes in the TAS 20 and LEAS were compared at the two time points controlling for the effects of gender, age, educational level, and associations with self-reported negative affect. RESULTS In contrast to the LEAS, the TAS 20 correlated with negative affect at the onset and the end of treatment. The scores of the TAS 20 decreased with treatment in all diagnostic groups but the change in the TAS 20 was not statistically significant when negative affect was controlled. In contrast, LEAS scores increased with treatment in the groups with somatoform disorders and psychological factors related to somatic disorders, and this change was independent of negative affect. CONCLUSION The LEAS captured a change in emotional awareness due to treatment, whereas the TAS 20 captured a change in negative affect. The LEAS appears to be a more specific measure of change in emotional awareness in clinical contexts than the TAS 20.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Subic-Wrana
- Department of Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Josef-Stelzmann-Str. 9, D-50931 Köln, Germany.
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Lumley MA, Radcliffe AM, Macklem DJ, Mosley-Williams A, Leisen JCC, Huffman JL, D'Souza PJ, Gillis ME, Meyer TM, Kraft CA, Rapport LJ. Alexithymia and Pain in Three Chronic Pain Samples: Comparing Caucasians and African Americans. PAIN MEDICINE 2005; 6:251-61. [PMID: 15972089 DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2005.05036.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE African Americans often report greater pain than do Caucasians, but the factors responsible for this discrepancy are not known. We examined whether alexithymia-the trait of difficulty identifying and describing one's feelings and lacking introspection-may contribute to this ethnic group difference. We tested whether the mean level of alexithymia is higher, and whether alexithymia and pain are more highly correlated, among African Americans than among Caucasians in patients with chronic pain disorders. DESIGN Three cross-sectional, correlational studies were conducted on three separate samples of patients with chronic pain. Analyses examined the full sample and then Caucasians and African Americans separately. SETTING AND PATIENTS Patients were recruited primarily from treatment settings. Samples were patients with rheumatoid arthritis (N = 155), migraine headaches (N = 160), or systemic lupus erythematosus (N = 123), and each sample included only Caucasians or African Americans. MEASURES The Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 assessed global alexithymia and three alexithymia facets. Pain severity, functional disability, or symptoms were also measured on each sample. RESULTS Similar findings occurred across all three samples. African Americans had only slightly higher mean alexithymia levels than did Caucasians, and this was partly accounted for by socioeconomic differences between groups. More importantly, alexithymia correlated only weakly with pain or symptom severity for each full sample, but the two ethnic groups showed different patterns. Alexithymia correlated positively with pain severity among African Americans, but was uncorrelated with pain among Caucasians, even after covarying for various socioeconomic variables. CONCLUSIONS Alexithymia is more correlated with pain severity among African Americans with chronic pain disorders than among Caucasians, potentially contributing to the higher pain reports among African Americans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Lumley
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202, USA.
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Neumann SA, Sollers JJ, Thayer JF, Waldstein SR. Alexithymia predicts attenuated autonomic reactivity, but prolonged recovery to anger recall in young women. Int J Psychophysiol 2004; 53:183-95. [PMID: 15246672 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2004.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2003] [Revised: 01/29/2004] [Accepted: 03/25/2004] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Alexithymia has been prospectively associated with all-cause mortality and with cardiovascular morbidity. Here, stress-induced autonomic reactivity and recovery were examined as potential pathways linking alexithymia to cardiovascular disease. The relation of alexithymia to blood pressure, heart rate, and other cardiovascular parameters derived from impedance cardiography (N = 80) and heart rate variability (N = 40) was evaluated during rest, an anger recall task and recovery in women (ages 18-30). During anger recall, alexithymia was associated with significantly attenuated heart rate and stroke index reactivity, greater low frequency power, and with marginally dampened blood pressure and high frequency power reactivity. Overall, this response pattern suggests blunted sympathetic activation and diminished vagal withdrawal. Alexithymia was also related to slower diastolic blood pressure and quicker preejection period recovery implying abbreviated sympathetic arousal and possibly greater vagal modulation. These results impart some evidence for the hypoarousal model of alexithymia during reactivity, but the hyperarousal model during recovery. Autonomic dysregulation during and following acute emotional stress is suggested as a possible physiological pathway connecting alexithymia to cardiovascular disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serina A Neumann
- Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine Research Training Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 4015 O'Hara Street, 506 OEH, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
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Porcelli P, Bagby RM, Taylor GJ, De Carne M, Leandro G, Todarello O. Alexithymia as predictor of treatment outcome in patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders. Psychosom Med 2003; 65:911-8. [PMID: 14508040 DOI: 10.1097/01.psy.0000089064.13681.3b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE A previous study found a strong association between alexithymia and functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID). The objective of this study was to investigate whether alexithymia might be a predictor of treatment outcome in patients with FGID. METHODS A group of FGID outpatients classified by the 'Rome I' criteria was divided into improved (N= 68) and unimproved (N= 44) groups on the basis of pre-established criteria after 6 months of treatment. Patients were administered the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale both before and after 6 months of treatment. RESULTS At the base-line assessment, compared with the improved patients, the unimproved patients had significantly higher levels of anxiety, depression, alexithymia, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Stability of alexithymia was demonstrated by significant correlations between base-line and follow-up TAS-20 scores in the entire sample. Moreover, hierarchical regression analyses showed that the stability of TAS-20 scores over the 6-month treatment period could not be accounted for by their associations with anxiety and depression scores. In logistic regression analyses, base-line alexithymia and depression emerged as significant predictors of treatment outcome. Relative to depression, however, alexithymia was the stronger predictor. CONCLUSIONS Alexithymia is a reliable and stable predictor of treatment outcome in FGID patients. Although further studies are needed, clinicians might improve treatment outcome by identifying patients with high alexithymia, and attempting to improve these patients' skills for coping with emotionally stressful situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piero Porcelli
- Psychosomatic Unit, IRCCS De Bellis Hospital, Castellana Grotte, Bari, Italy.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE To present a quantitative review of the empirical literature on somatisation and alexithymia. METHODS Medline and PsycLIT searches for relevant studies were conducted. Meta-analytical techniques were applied to quantify the strength of the associations that were found. RESULTS A small to moderate relationship was found between general alexithymia and somatic symptom reporting. The alexithymia dimension measuring difficulty in identifying feelings showed the strongest association with symptom reports. The alexithymia dimension measuring externally oriented thinking was virtually unrelated to somatic symptom reports. Compared to healthy control populations, subjects suffering from a somatoform condition were significantly more alexithymic, with effect sizes ranging from moderate to large. The studies comparing somatoform to medical or psychiatric conditions yielded inconclusive results. CONCLUSIONS By means of quantitative procedures, an association between general alexithymia and somatic symptom reporting was established. Due to the use of questionnaires that can only check for symptoms, not whether these symptoms are medically explained or not, it is however not possible to draw conclusions on somatisation properly defined. The inconsistent results found when comparing somatoform conditions to medical and psychiatric controls may be attributed to confounding variables. In future studies, these variables should be statistically controlled to establish a more consistent pattern of associations between somatoform conditions and alexithymia. It is, however, equally feasible that this inconsistency reflects the nonspecific character of the association between alexithymia and somatisation. The presence of only one prospective study does not allow to draw conclusions on alexithymia as a predisposing factor for somatisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Véronique De Gucht
- Section of Clinical and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE The present study examines how alexithymia, self-report of symptoms, and pulmonary function are related to each other among a sample of patients with asthma. The goal was to extend previous research showing that alexithymia may complicate treatment of asthma. METHODS Seventy-four participants with asthma completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), Asthma Symptom Checklist (ASC), Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (TMAS), and spirometry testing. RESULTS The "Difficulty identifying feelings" subscale (IDE) of the TAS was associated with increased report of emotional symptoms (panic-fear) as well as physical symptoms (fatigue) during the past week, but not pulmonary function on the day of testing. This relationship appeared to be influenced by trait anxiety. The "Difficulty communicating feelings" subscale (COM) was correlated with decreased pulmonary function, but not report of emotional or physical sensations experienced during the prior week. The "Externally oriented thinking" subscale (EOT) was not related to any of the dependent measures. CONCLUSION These data suggest that alexithymia may complicate optimal management of asthma and this relationship is best studied by examining the subscales of the TAS separately.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan M. Feldman
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers — The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, USA
| | - Paul M. Lehrer
- Department of Psychiatry, UMDNJ—Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 671 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854-5635, USA
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-732-235-4413; fax: 1-732-235-4430. (P.M. Lehrer)
| | - Stuart M. Hochron
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, UMDNJ—Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA
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Kooiman CG, Spinhoven P, Trijsburg RW. The assessment of alexithymia: a critical review of the literature and a psychometric study of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20. J Psychosom Res 2002; 53:1083-90. [PMID: 12479990 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-3999(02)00348-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 266] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The objectives were to give an overview of studies on the validity of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and to present data regarding the validity of the TAS-20. METHODS The literature on the psychometric properties of the TAS-20 was reviewed and a study was conducted of its psychometric properties in a sample of students and a sample of psychiatric outpatients using a statistical method allowing identification of a stable factor structure. RESULTS The review revealed that the majority of studies on the TAS-20 were conducted with nonpatient samples. The factorial validity and reliability of the dimensions 'identifying feelings' (DIF) and 'describing feelings' (DDF) could be replicated in many of these studies. However, in practically all studies the dimension 'externally oriented thinking' (EOT) appears to be unreliable. In addition, the presupposed fantasy aspect of the alexithymia construct is not included in the TAS-20. Although many studies were conducted on the construct validity of the TAS-20, no studies have been published on its criterion validity. Some studies show a different factor structure to exist in patient samples. This was confirmed in our own study in which the dimensions 'identifying feelings' and 'describing feelings' collapsed into one single subscale. As in other studies, the reliability of the dimension 'EOT' was low. CONCLUSION The TAS-20 has some important shortcomings with respect to validity and reliability. For the assessment of alexithymia in empirical research, it is recommended to use the TAS-20 in combination with other instruments. We do not recommend the TAS-20 to be used in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- C G Kooiman
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.
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Schaible R, Dahme B, Raeithel † A, Bach M, Lupke U, Nutzinger DO. Alexithymie: Kompetenzdefizit oder (motivierte) Hemmung? ZEITSCHRIFT FUR KLINISCHE PSYCHOLOGIE UND PSYCHOTHERAPIE 2002. [DOI: 10.1026/0084-5345.31.3.194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Alexithymie bezeichnet eine eingeschränkte Fähigkeit, Affekte zu identifizieren und zu beschreiben. Auf konstruktheoretischer Ebene ist ungeklärt, ob alexithyme Phänomene auf einer defizitären oder auf einer gehemmten Affektregulation beruhen. Fragestellung: Um eine Entscheidung zu ermöglichen, wurden aus jeder der beiden theoretischen Perspektiven Hypothesen formuliert und überprüft. (1) Alexithyme Patienten verfügen über einen weniger differenzierten semantischen Raum für die Unterscheidung von Emotionen. (2) Alexithyme Patienten akzeptieren ihre eigene Emotionalität in geringerem Maße als nichtalexithyme Patienten und/oder erwarten in stärkerem Ausmaß, daß ihre Emotionalität von anderen abgelehnt wird. Methode: Bei 39 Patienten mit DSM-III-R Angststörungen wurde der Differenzierungsgrad der Emotionswahrnehmung individuell für jeden Patienten mit einer Variante der Repertory-Grid-Technik, dem “Emotions-Grid“, bestimmt. Die Emotionsakzeptanz wurde mittels Ratings für diverse Grundemotionen bestimmt. Mit der Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) wurden alexithyme Merkmale psychometrisch erfasst. Ergebnisse: Eine emotionale Differenzierungsschwäche alexithymer Patienten kann belegt werden. Schlussfolgerungen: Die Befunde stützen ein “Defizitkonzept“ der Alexithymie.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf Schaible
- Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Rotenburg
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Spalletta G, Pasini A, Costa A, De Angelis D, Ramundo N, Paolucci S, Caltagirone C. Alexithymic features in stroke: effects of laterality and gender. Psychosom Med 2001; 63:944-50. [PMID: 11719633 DOI: 10.1097/00006842-200111000-00013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Stroke patients suffer from a high rate of behavioral disorders, and the laterality of the lesion may affect the expression of emotional disturbances. This study tested the hypothesis that stroke patients with a lesion in the right hemisphere are at high risk of developing alexithymic features. METHODS Forty-eight patients were interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (patient edition), the Mini-Mental State Examination, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (state form), the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (20-item version). Alexithymic differences between stroke patients with a lesion in the right hemisphere and those with a lesion in the left hemisphere were computed by analysis of covariance, using scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination, Beck Depression Inventory (psychic subscore), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory as covariates and the score on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale as the dependent variable. A multivariate analysis of covariance and a series of follow-up analyses of covariance with the same covariates were used to discriminate differences in subscores on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. An exploratory analysis of covariance was also performed to determine the effect of gender on alexithymic features in both groups of stroke patients. RESULTS The 21 stroke patients with a lesion in the right hemisphere were more alexithymic than the 27 patients with a lesion in the left hemisphere. This evidence was strengthened by the categorical analysis: 48% of the patients with a right-hemisphere lesion had alexithymia, compared with 22% of patients with a left-hemisphere lesion. Univariate analyses of covariance showed significant differences between the two groups in difficulty identifying feelings and difficulty describing feelings, but not in externally oriented thinking. The last exploratory analysis of covariance suggested that gender may influence alexithymic features. CONCLUSIONS This study provides direct evidence that alexithymia, and more specifically difficulty identifying feelings and difficulty describing feelings, is more common in stroke patients with a right-hemisphere lesion than in those with a left-hemisphere lesion. It also provides preliminary evidence that gender may affect alexithymic expression.
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Gregory RJ. Characteristics Of Patients Assigned Multiple Nonthreatening Medical Diagnoses. PRIMARY CARE COMPANION TO THE JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHIATRY 2001; 3:164-167. [PMID: 15014600 PMCID: PMC181182 DOI: 10.4088/pcc.v03n0403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Medical diagnoses can be separated on the basis of whether or not they are associated with significant 1-year mortality risk, i.e., "threatening" versus "nonthreatening," by employing the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). The author examined the psychosocial characteristics and medical utilization patterns of patients assigned multiple nonthreatening medical diagnoses. METHOD: The study population included 125 general medical outpatients seen in psychiatric consultation. The author employed blinded reviews of medical charts, psychological measures, and billing records to assess patients' psychosocial characteristics and medical utilization. RESULTS: The number of nonthreatening diagnoses correlated significantly with age (r = 0.35, p </=.001), diagnosis of somatoform disorder (r = 0.29, p </=.001), somatosensory amplification (r = 0.36, p </=.001), number of ambulatory medical visits (r = 0.24, p </=.01), and emergency room visits (r = 0.18, p </=.05), but did not correlate with CCI scores or medical hospitalization. By contrast, the number of threatening diagnoses, as measured by the CCI, did not correlate with a diagnosis of somatoform disorder or somatic amplification, but did correlate with age and all measures of medical utilization, including hospitalization (r = 0.19, p </=.05). CONCLUSION: Patients with multiple nonthreatening medical diagnoses have different psychosocial characteristics and medical utilization patterns than patients with multiple threatening diagnoses. The association between the number of nonthreatening medical diagnoses assigned to a given patient and measures of somatization suggests that psychosocial factors contribute to diagnostic assignment in patients with multiple nonthreatening medical diagnoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J. Gregory
- Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, N.Y
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Kooiman CG, Bolk JH, Brand R, Trijsburg RW, Rooijmans HG. Is alexithymia a risk factor for unexplained physical symptoms in general medical outpatients? Psychosom Med 2000; 62:768-78. [PMID: 11138995 DOI: 10.1097/00006842-200011000-00005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Alexithymia is presumed to play an important predisposing role in the pathogenesis of medically unexplained physical symptoms. However, no research on alexithymia has been done among general medical outpatients who present with medically unexplained physical symptoms as their main problem and in which anxiety and depression have been considered as possible confounding factors. This study investigated whether patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms are more alexithymic than those with explained symptoms and whether, in patients with unexplained symptoms, alexithymia is associated with subjective health experience and use of medical services. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study among patients attending an internal medicine outpatient clinic. All patients were given a standardized interview and completed a number of questionnaires. RESULTS After complete physical examinations, 169 of 321 patients had unexplained physical symptoms according to two independent raters. Patients with medically unexplained symptoms more often had a mental disorder, but overall they were not more alexithymic. In patients with unexplained physical symptoms, alexithymia was not associated with subjective health experience or use of medical services. However, patients with both unexplained symptoms and a mental disorder who also denied any possible connection between emotional problems and their physical symptoms did have more alexithymic traits. CONCLUSIONS In the majority of patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms, alexithymia does not play a role of clinical significance. Patients with unexplained physical symptoms are heterogeneous with respect to psychiatric syndrome pathology and probably also with respect to personality pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- C G Kooiman
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.
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Marchesi C, Brusamonti E, Maggini C. Are alexithymia, depression, and anxiety distinct constructs in affective disorders? J Psychosom Res 2000; 49:43-9. [PMID: 11053603 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-3999(00)00084-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE the present study was undertaken to gain a better insight into the relationship between alexithymia, anxiety, and depression. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) whether a depressive or anxiety disorder is associated with an elevation of one or more dimensions of alexithymia; and (2) whether alexithymia is an independent construct from depression and anxiety in patients with depressive or anxiety disorders. METHOD a total of 113 patients with depressive or anxiety disorders (DSM-IV) and 113 control subjects completed the 20-item version of the Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-20) and the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS). RESULTS the TAS-20 total score was higher in depressed and anxious patients than in controls. This finding mainly depended on an increased score for "difficulty identifying feelings"(DIF), and (only in depressed patients) on an increased score for "difficulty communicating feelings" (DCF). The factor analysis of the TAS-20 and HADS items showed that depression is a construct different from alexithymia, whereas some overlap exists between anxiety and DIF dimension. CONCLUSION our results suggest that in depressive and anxiety disorders, alexithymia and depression are separate constructs that may be closely related; in contrast, there are some overlaps between the DIF dimension and anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Marchesi
- Istituto di Clinica Psichiatrica, Università di Parma, P.le Matteotti 9, 43100, Parma, Italy.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE In two studies, we tested two hypotheses about the relationship of alexithymia to dreaming; that dreams of alexithymic people are barren and rarely recalled, and that the dreams are unregulated and nightmarish. METHODS Study 1 was a retrospective survey of dreaming among several hundred young adults, and Study 2 was a 1-week, prospective diary study of 153 young adults in which recall, content, and length of dreams were assessed. RESULTS Across both studies, the externally oriented thinking (EOT) facet of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS)-20 correlated with different dream characteristics than the difficulty identifying feelings (DIF) and difficulty describing feelings (DDF) facets, even after statistically controlling for the other facets. Greater EOT was related to an increased frequency of nights without dream recall, having shorter dreams, having dreams rated as boring and lacking vividness, and not believing in the importance of dreams. In contrast, greater DIF or DDF was related to an increased frequency of nights with disturbing dreams, and having dreams rated as bizarre and aggressive. CONCLUSION We find support for both hypotheses, but different facets of the multidimensional alexithymia construct account for the two types of dream reports.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Lumley
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, 71 West Warren Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.
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Taylor GJ. Recent developments in alexithymia theory and research. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY. REVUE CANADIENNE DE PSYCHIATRIE 2000; 45:134-42. [PMID: 10742872 DOI: 10.1177/070674370004500203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 401] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To review recent developments in alexithymia theory and research that are relevant to the field of psychosomatic medicine. METHOD Articles were selected from the alexithymia literature published over the past decade that describe advances in the theoretical understanding of alexithymia or report empirical investigations of the relationships of the construct with emotion regulation and with somatic illness and disease. Empirical investigations of the neural correlates of alexithymia were reviewed also, as were studies that explore therapeutic attempts to modify alexithymic characteristics. RESULTS The salient features of the alexithymia construct are now thought to reflect deficits in the cognitive processing and regulation of emotions. This is supported by studies showing that alexithymia is associated with maladaptive styles of emotion regulation, low emotional intelligence, a bidirectional interhemispheric transfer deficit, and reduced rapid eye movement (REM) density (number of eye movements divided by number of REM periods). Although empirical evidence demonstrates that alexithymia is associated with several somatic disorders, more prospective studies are required to establish the direction of causality. Preliminary data suggest that psychotherapies involving specific techniques to enhance emotional awareness and integrate symbolic and subsymbolic elements of emotion schemas may be effective in reducing alexithymic characteristics. CONCLUSION Alexithymia is proving to be a heuristically useful construct for exploring the role of personality and emotions in the pathogenesis of certain somatic illnesses and diseases.
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Ritz T, Kannapin O. Zur Konstruktvalidität einer deutschen Fassung der Toronto Alexithymia Scale. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2000. [DOI: 10.1024//0170-1789.21.1.49] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Zusammenfassung: Eine deutsche Übersetzung der Toronto Alexithymie Skala (TAS) wurde an einer Studentenstichprobe (N = 228) auf ihre Faktorenstruktur und ihre psychometrischen Kennwerte hin überprüft. Anhand einer zweiten Stichprobe (N = 170) wurden die Zusammenhänge der Unterskalen der TAS mit Absorption untersucht, sowie mit Fragebogenskalen zu Beschwerdenäußerung, habitueller Gestimmtheit, Kontrollüberzeugung zu Krankheit und Gesundheit, Ärgerausdruck und defensiver Bewältigung. Die konfirmatorischen Faktorenanalysen (FA) sprachen für eine Mehrdimensionalität der TAS, mit einem Faktor zum Identifizieren, Differenzieren und Beschreiben von Gefühlen (TAS-ID), sowie zwei Faktoren des external orientierten Denkens. Die korrelierten TAS-Unterskalen zum external orientierten Denken, «Mangelnde Wichtigkeit von Emotionen» (TAS-WI) und «pragmatische Haltung» (TAS-PR), zeigten deutlich geringere Konsistenz als die von beiden relativ unabhängige Unterskala zu TAS-ID. Eine hierarchisch-oblique FA ergab keinen Sekundärfaktor im Sinne eines übergreifenden Alexithymiekonstrukts. Es ergaben sich widersprüchliche Zusammenhänge der TAS-Unterskalen mit der Absorption-Skala und weiteren Fragebogeninstrumenten. Es wird geschlossen, daß die TAS-Unterskalen kein einheitliches Alexithymiekonstrukt abbilden und daß weitere Untersuchungen zu Alexithymie auf Untermerkmale konzentriert werden sollten.
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Honkalampi K, Hintikka J, Tanskanen A, Lehtonen J, Viinamäki H. Depression is strongly associated with alexithymia in the general population. J Psychosom Res 2000; 48:99-104. [PMID: 10750635 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-3999(99)00083-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 380] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study examines how alexithymia and depression are related to each other in men and women in a sample of Finnish general population (n = 2018). METHODS Alexithymia was screened using the 20-item version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Level of depression was assessed using the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Life satisfaction was estimated with a structured scale. RESULTS The prevalence of alexithymia was 12.8% in men and 8.2% in women. However, the prevalence of alexithymia was 32.1% among those having BDI scores of > or = 9, but only 4.3% among the nondepressed subjects (p < 0.001). The BDI scores explained 29.2% of the variation in TAS-20 scores. Alexithymia was associated with several sociodemographic factors if depression was not taken into account. However, after including depression in the logistic regression models, only depression and low life satisfaction were associated with alexithymia, both in men and women. CONCLUSION These results suggest that alexithymia has a close relationship to depression in the general population. The impact of social factors on alexithymia may be primarily explained by depression. Depression must be taken into account as a confounding factor when studying alexithymia in general populations due to the strong association between alexithymia and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Honkalampi
- Department of Psychiatry, Kuopio University Hospital, Finland.
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Abstract
The association between alexithymia and maladaptive health behaviors was evaluated in 118 young, healthy men, aged 18-45 years. Subjects completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-26), and a health behaviors questionnaire, measuring alcohol and drug use, sedentary lifestyle, poor nutritional consumption, and risky sexual practices. In forced hierarchical regression analyses, the association between alexithymia and health behaviors was evaluated after adjusting for age, body mass index, social support, ambivalence over expression of emotion, and the expression of emotion. Results indicated that: (1) the TAS-26 and difficulty identifying feelings was associated with poor nutritional consumption; (2) difficulty identifying feelings was associated with greater alcohol and drug use; and (3) difficulty communicating feelings was associated with a more sedentary lifestyle. There was no association between risky sexual practices and alexithymia. These results suggest that, in young men, difficulties with identifying emotions and communicating emotions are associated with maladaptive nutritional habits, a sedentary lifestyle, and substance abuse, even after adjusting for other psychosocial and demographic variables. Such maladaptive health behaviors may help explain the association between alexithymia and premature mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- K F Helmers
- Graduate Department of Kinesiology and Health Science, Bethune College, York University, North York, Ontario, Canada
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Abstract
Theoretical issues and research emphasis within the field of attachment theory have shifted from attachment behavior "to the level of representation" (Bretherton, 1985) since the middle of the 80ies. The paper presents an overview on basic assumptions, research methodology and empirical findings in the field of attachment research. Four issues are addressed, which are relevant for psychosomatic research. These concern: (1) The prevalence of insecure attachment representation in psychosomatic disorders; (2) the association between insecure attachment representation and an increased psychophysiological reactivity; (3) the potential link between attachment and affect regulation and (4) the question, whether the classification of attachment representations may increase our understanding of specific aspects of illness behavior in psychosomatic conditions such as somatoform disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- C E Scheidt
- Abteilung für Psychosomatik und Psychotherapeutische Medizin, Universitätsklinik Freiburg, Hauptstr. 8, D-79104 Freiburg
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Denton WH, Reynolds DL, Burleson BR, Anderson RT. The role of marital status in health services expenditures for psychiatric outpatients. JOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY 1999; 25:383-392. [PMID: 10405922 DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-0606.1999.tb00255.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
This study tested the hypothesis that married psychiatric outpatients would have lower total health services expenditures than divorced or separated patients. Chart review of the 471 individuals attending an academic medical center outpatient psychiatric clinic during 1994 identified 131 married, 40 separated, and 93 divorced patients. Separated men had significantly higher average total charges ($16,890) than married ($5,279) or divorced ($5,539) men by one-way ANOVA (p < .05). The nonparametric Mann-Whitney test also showed that separated men had higher charges than married or divorced men. There were no differences between marital status groups for women.
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Affiliation(s)
- W H Denton
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
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Scheidt CE, Waller E, Schnock C, Becker-Stoll F, Zimmermann P, Lücking CH, Wirsching M. Alexithymia and attachment representation in idiopathic spasmodic torticollis. J Nerv Ment Dis 1999; 187:47-52. [PMID: 9952253 DOI: 10.1097/00005053-199901000-00008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
We investigated alexithymia and the mental representation of attachment in idiopathic spasmodic torticollis (IST). It was hypothesized a) that alexithymia in IST is more prevalent than in a nonclinical control group and b) that significant correlations emerge between alexithymia and a dismissing attachment representation. Twenty patients with IST and 20 healthy controls matched for age and sex were administered the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Attachment was classified using the Attachment Interview Q-sort. IST patients scored significantly higher on the measure of alexithymia than subjects in the comparison group. In IST a dismissing attachment representation was significantly more frequent than in the control group. Across the total sample, externally oriented thinking correlated positively with dismissing attachment, and both externally oriented thinking and difficulty communicating feelings (two of the three subscales of the TAS-20) correlated inversely with secure attachment. Alexithymia is more prevalent in IST than in normals. As was hypothesized, alexithymia in adults is significantly interrelated with the mental representation of attachment.
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Affiliation(s)
- C E Scheidt
- Abteilung für Psychosomatik und Psychotherapeutische Medizin, Universitätsklinik Freiburg, Germany
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES The cross-cultural prevalence of somatization and the limitations of current nosology and psychiatric theory for interpreting cultural variations in somatization are reviewed. METHOD Selective review was conducted of recent research literature and research findings from an epidemiological survey and ethnographic study of help-seeking and health care utilization of a random sample of 2246 residents in a Canadian urban multicultural milieu. RESULTS Somatization is common in all ethnocultural groups and societies studied to date. However, significant differences in somatization across ethnocultural groups persist even where there is relatively equitable access to health care services. Analysis of illness narratives collected from diverse ethnocultural groups suggests that somatic symptoms are located in multiple systems of meaning that serve diverse psychological and social functions. Depending on circumstances, these symptoms can be seen as an index of disease or disorder, an indication of psychopathology, a symbolic condensation of intrapsychic conflict, a culturally coded expression of distress, a medium for expressing social discontent, and a mechanism through which patients attempt to reposition themselves within their local worlds. CONCLUSION Major sources of differences in somatization among ethnocultural groups include styles of expressing distress ("idioms of distress"), the ethnomedical belief systems in which these styles are rooted, and each group's relative familiarity with the health care system and pathways to care. Psychological theories of somatization focused on individual characteristics must be expanded to recognize the fundamental social meanings of bodily distress.
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Affiliation(s)
- L J Kirmayer
- Sir Mortimer B. Davis-Jewish General Hospital, and Division of Social & Transcultural Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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Abstract
Some decennia ago, the concept of alexithymia was developed from the clinical experience of psychosomaticians who at the time were largely working within a psychoanalytic frame of reference. Alexithymia can briefly be described as a cognitive-affective disturbance characterized by difficulties in differentiating one's feelings and expressing them in words. Clinicians who treat patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms may often recognize alexithymic features in their patients. It is supposed that alexithymia could be a predisposing factor for the development or persistence of medically unexplained physical symptoms. In this review, the concept of alexithymia as well as paradigmatic shifts in psychoanalysis and psychosomatics are discussed to place the concept of alexithymia in its epistemiological context. Furthermore, the empirical literature on the association between alexithymia and medically unexplained physical symptoms is reviewed. The main conclusions are that alexithymia appears to be a theoretically important and clinically appealing concept, but that so far the empirical evidence that alexithymia predisposes to the development or persistence of medically unexplained physical symptoms is imperfect. This is mainly because of the cross-sectional design of most studies and is due to other methodological shortcomings, such as the lack of allowance for depression and anxiety as possible confounding factors. Suggestions for future research are made.
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Affiliation(s)
- C G Kooiman
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Leiden, The Netherlands
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