Introducing alexithymia: a concept within the psychosomatic process

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, Psychopathology, Uncertainty and Alexithymia: A Clinical and Differential Exploratory Study

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) represents a complex pathology affecting a large number of people. Research suggests that psychological factors influence coping with T1DM. This study aimed to investigate the presence and role of psychopathology, alexithymia and uncertainty in people affected by T1DM. The sample consisted of 137 patients (88 females, 49 males) affected by T1DM aged from 11 to 19 years old (Mean: 13.87; SD: 2.40). The diagnostic protocol consisted of a sociodemographic questionnaire, Self-administration Psychiatric Scales for Children and Adolescents (SAFA), Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20) and Intolerance to Uncertainty Scale-12 (IUS-12). Descriptive, differential, correlational and regression analyses were performed in order to examine the relationships between these variables. The results suggested the sample had high levels of psychopathological indexes, alexithymia and intolerance of uncertainty. Also, there were significant differences between TAS-20 and IUS-12 distributions with respect to psychopathology. Correlations and multivariate linear regressions indicated age, gender and education significantly predicted alexithymia and intolerance of uncertainty. This data suggest the presence of elevated psychopathology, alexithymia and uncertainty in people with diabetes.

Autistic Traits and Empathy for Others' Pain Among the General Population: Test of the Mediating Effects of First-Hand Pain Sensitivity

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by reduced pain empathy-a process that is grounded in first-hand pain perception. Because autistic traits are continuously distributed in the general population, we hypothesized that first-hand pain sensitivity would mediate the link between autistic traits and pain empathy. After controlling for alexithymia, higher autistic traits were associated with lower cognitive and emotional empathy in response to others' pain, as well as lower sensitivity to cold and heat pain (higher cold pain tolerance and lower laser heat pain-intensity ratings). Importantly, pain sensitivity fully mediated the link between autistic traits and pain empathy. These findings highlight the role of atypical first-hand pain sensitivity in the lack of pain empathy observed in people with high autistic traits or ASD.

Impairments in cognitive empathy and alexithymia occur independently of executive functioning in college students with autism

Reduced empathy and alexithymic traits are common across the autism spectrum, but it is unknown whether this is also true for intellectually advanced adults with autism spectrum disorder. The aim of this study was to examine whether college students with autism spectrum disorder experience difficulties with empathy and alexithymia, and whether this is associated with their cognitive levels of executive functioning. In total, 53 college students with autism spectrum disorder were compared to a gender-matched group of 29 neurotypical students on cognitive and affective dimensions of empathy and alexithymia. In addition, cognitive performance on executive functioning was measured with computerized and paper-and-pencil tasks. The autism spectrum disorder group scored significantly lower on cognitive empathy and higher on cognitive alexithymia (both d = 0.65). The difference on cognitive empathy also remained significant after controlling for levels of cognitive alexithymia. There were no group differences on affective empathy and alexithymia. No significant relations between executive functioning and cognitive alexithymia or cognitive empathy were detected. Together, these findings suggest that intellectually advanced individuals with autism spectrum disorder experience serious impairments in the cognitive processing of social–emotional information. However, these impairments cannot be attributed to individual levels of cognitive executive functioning.

Skills-based Treatment for Alexithymia: An Exploratory Case Series

This paper describes a skills-based intervention for the treatment of alexithymia. The intervention incorporates components to address the following three areas: the relationship between alexithymia and early life experiences, identifying feelings and expressing feelings. The efficacy of the intervention was explored using three individual case studies extending over 16–24 weekly 1-hour sessions. A number of questionnaires were administered at five time intervals. The results suggest that the treatment was effective in reducing alexithymia within the three individuals and in helping them to clarify, identify and describe their feelings. Following treatment the participants were less ambivalent about expressing their feelings and more attentive to their emotional states. The results were generally maintained at a 1-year follow-up for two of the three cases.

The 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale: validation of factor solutions using confirmatory factor analysis on physiotherapy out-patients

OBJECTIVE

Whilst the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) was developed to measure three intercorrelated dimensions, there is some debate as to whether the scale is best served by a two- or three-factor construct. In particular, there is some doubt as to whether clinical data exhibit the third factor. This study uses data from a sample of physiotherapy (physical therapy) out-patients in the UK to validate the factorial structure of a set of models postulated in the literature, including the three-factor model hypothesized by Bagby et al. (1994).

METHOD

Data were collected from a sample of physiotherapy out-patients (N=242). Specialist factor analysis software (LISREL 8.54) was used to perform confirmatory factor analyses on a range of models proposed in the literature.

RESULTS

The analysis supports the three-factor model assumed by Bagby et al. (1994), as well as most of the two-factor models suggested in the literature.

CONCLUSIONS

This new set of clinical data supports most of the two- and three-factor models postulated in the recent literature, including the three-factor model advocated by Bagby et al. (1994).

Theoretical and empirical exploration of the similarities between emotional numbing in posttraumatic stress disorder and alexithymia

This study rationally and scientifically examines the similarities between the emotional numbing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alexithymia. A clinical database from the Iowa City Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center consisting of data from 274 combat veterans was used. Significant positive correlations were found between measures of PTSD, alexithymia, and combat exposure. Principal components analysis supported a lack of independence between PTSD subscales and alexithymia, as all variables loaded on one factor best labeled PTSD. This article presents both theoretical and empirical evidence suggesting that in traumatized persons, alexithymia may be better conceptualized as the emotional numbing aspect of PTSD rather than as a distinct construct.