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Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Dec 2021Theory of Mind (ToM), the ability to represent the mental states of oneself and others, is an essential social skill disrupted across many psychiatric conditions. The... (Review)
Review
Theory of Mind (ToM), the ability to represent the mental states of oneself and others, is an essential social skill disrupted across many psychiatric conditions. The transdiagnostic nature of ToM impairment means it is plausible that ToM impairment is related to alexithymia (difficulties identifying and describing one's own emotions), as alexithymia is seen across psychiatric conditions. Whilst many studies have examined links between alexithymia and ToM, results are mixed. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review is to provide a taxonomy of ToM tests and assess their relationship with alexithymia. Tests are grouped according to whether they assess propensity to engage spontaneously in ToM or accuracy of ToM inferences, with tests further subdivided into those that do, and do not, require emotion recognition. A review of 63 suitable studies suggests that alexithymia is often associated with reduced ToM, and inaccurate ToM when tasks require emotion recognition. This latter finding appears due to impaired emotion recognition, rather than ToM impairment per se. Further directions and considerations for future research are discussed.
Topics: Affective Symptoms; Emotions; Humans; Theory of Mind
PubMed: 34599917
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.036 -
Psychological Trauma : Theory,... Oct 2022Improving treatment outcomes for posttraumatic stress necessitates consideration of factors that may impede treatment progress. Previous research suggests alexithymia-an... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
Improving treatment outcomes for posttraumatic stress necessitates consideration of factors that may impede treatment progress. Previous research suggests alexithymia-an emotion-processing deficit characterized by difficulties in identifying, describing, and attending to emotional information-may be a therapeutically relevant correlate of posttraumatic stress.
METHOD
Building upon previous work in this area, meta-analysis was used to investigate (a) how alexithymic traits typically present among those with a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis, (b) the strength of association between alexithymic trait severity and posttraumatic stress severity independent of diagnosis, and (c) alexithymia subdimensions most closely associated with posttraumatic stress. A total of 43 samples encompassing 5,069 participants were included in analyses.
RESULTS
Results suggest individuals diagnosed with PTSD tend to experience alexithymic traits that, while just below the clinical cutoff, are 1.32 standard deviations more severe than the general population. These alexithymic traits are particularly prominent in male and veteran samples and for difficulties in identifying feelings. Independent of diagnosis, posttraumatic stress was moderately associated with alexithymic traits, and stronger associations were noted between posttraumatic stress and difficulties in identifying feelings than between posttraumatic stress and difficulties in describing feelings or externally oriented thinking.
CONCLUSIONS
Results attest to the importance of considering, conceptualizing, and treating posttraumatic stress and alexithymia in tandem. Implications for ongoing treatment development for posttraumatic stress are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
Topics: Affective Symptoms; Emotions; Humans; Male; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
PubMed: 31841012
DOI: 10.1037/tra0000539 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Apr 2018Alexithymia refers to deficiencies in identifying and expressing emotions. This might be related to changes in structural brain volumes, but its neuroanatomical basis... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Alexithymia refers to deficiencies in identifying and expressing emotions. This might be related to changes in structural brain volumes, but its neuroanatomical basis remains uncertain as studies have shown heterogeneous findings. Therefore, we conducted a parametric coordinate-based meta-analysis. We identified seventeen structural neuroimaging studies (including a total of 2586 individuals with different levels of alexithymia) investigating the association between gray matter volume and alexithymia. Volumes of the left insula, left amygdala, orbital frontal cortex and striatum were consistently smaller in people with high levels of alexithymia. These areas are important for emotion perception and emotional experience. Smaller volumes in these areas might lead to deficiencies in appropriately identifying and expressing emotions. These findings provide the first quantitative integration of results pertaining to the structural neuroanatomical basis of alexithymia.
Topics: Affective Symptoms; Brain; Gray Matter; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Neuroimaging
PubMed: 29360475
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.01.004 -
Journal of Psychiatric Research Apr 2022Emotional regulation is important for mental health and behavioral regulation. A relevant precursor to emotional regulation may involve identification of one's emotions.... (Review)
Review
Emotional regulation is important for mental health and behavioral regulation. A relevant precursor to emotional regulation may involve identification of one's emotions. Here, we propose a model of seven components that may provide a foundation for emotion identification. These factors include baseline mood, monitoring, physiological responses, interoception, past personal experiences regarding emotions/metacognition, context, and labeling. We additionally examine how deficits in different components may contribute to the concept of alexithymia, which is defined by difficulty identifying and describing one's own emotions. Ultimately, we explore how the model may support a relationship between specific psychiatric disorders and alexithymia. The proposed model may help explain emotional identification impairment in multiple psychiatric disorders and guide future research and treatment development efforts.
Topics: Affect; Affective Symptoms; Emotions; Humans; Mental Disorders
PubMed: 35151218
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.01.053 -
Parkinsonism & Related Disorders Jul 2016In this systematic review, we aimed to evaluate the role of alexithymia in Parkinson's disease (PD) and its relationship to neurological, neuropsychiatric, cognitive,... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
In this systematic review, we aimed to evaluate the role of alexithymia in Parkinson's disease (PD) and its relationship to neurological, neuropsychiatric, cognitive, and neuroimaging correlates.
METHODS
The database was selected using PubMed Services, Cochrane, PsycNET and Scopus and a number of key words. Further studies were sought by manually searching for secondary sources, including relevant journals and references in primary articles. The search was restricted to articles written in English between January 1980 and August 2015.
RESULTS
Ten studies reported that alexithymia prevalence was about double in PD patients compared to control subjects and that specific dimensions of alexithymia might be related to depression, anxiety, apathy and impulsivity. Some studies investigated the relationship between alexithymia and neuropsychological symptoms and found correlations with frontal and parietal lobe functions. Two studies on neurological features reported a link between alexithymia and disease stage or a specific motor subtype of PD; the remaining studies found that alexithymia was independent from neurological symptoms, dopaminergic therapy and laterality of motor symptom onset. Data on neuroimaging correlates and therapeutic intervention on alexithymia in PD patients are still lacking.
CONCLUSION
Although results suggest that alexithymia is a primary characteristics of PD, further studies with larger patient samples are needed to definitively clarify the impact of alexithymia on the clinical features of PD patients.
Topics: Affective Symptoms; Humans; Parkinson Disease
PubMed: 27086264
DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2016.03.021 -
International Journal of Adolescent... Jul 2020The purpose of this article is to review the literature regarding the relationships between alexithymia, fibromyalgia (FM), and psychological distress among adolescents.... (Review)
Review
The purpose of this article is to review the literature regarding the relationships between alexithymia, fibromyalgia (FM), and psychological distress among adolescents. Google Scholar and databases were searched using alexithymia, fibromyalgia, psychological distress, and adolescent keywords. Studies that examine the relationship between alexithymia and fibromyalgia and the contribution of psychological distress on this relationship among adolescents are lacking. However, based on previous studies on adult samples and theoretical background, there are possible relationship between alexithymia and fibromyalgia as well as possible mediating effect of psychological distress on this relationship in adolescents. Further studies are recommended to examine the relationships between alexithymia, fibromyalgia, and psychological distress among adolescents.
Topics: Adolescent; Affective Symptoms; Fibromyalgia; Humans; Psychology, Adolescent; Stress, Psychological
PubMed: 32750034
DOI: 10.1515/ijamh-2017-0081 -
Journal of Affective Disorders Jun 2024It has been suggested that alexithymia plays a significant role in substance and behavioral addictions. However, only a handful of studies investigated this construct in...
BACKGROUND
It has been suggested that alexithymia plays a significant role in substance and behavioral addictions. However, only a handful of studies investigated this construct in relation to gaming addiction, and no study analyzed its differential effect on gaming engagement and addiction.
METHODS
A total of u adult gamers (M = 26.04, SD = 5.78, 94 % male) completed a questionnaire that included the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (and its subscales of difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, and externally oriented thinking), the Addiction-Engagement Questionnaire, and additional questions about gender, age, and time spent gaming. Structural equation modeling was used as the main analytical strategy.
RESULTS
Difficulty identifying feelings (β = 0.28) and externally oriented thinking (β = 0.19) showed a significant positive effect on gaming addiction. Contrary to addiction, externally oriented thinking showed a significant negative effect (β = -0.21) on gaming engagement. No other alexithymia subscales were significant. The model with alexithymia explained 32.7 % of the variance in gaming addiction while only 10.4 % of gaming engagement.
CONCLUSIONS
Alexithymia is a strong predictor of gaming addiction. Gaming engagement seems to be a qualitatively different phenomenon that shows an opposite association with alexithymia than gaming addiction. However, both are related to increased time spent gaming. This suggests a need to distinguish between problematic vs. non-problematic excessive gaming as they have different associations with affect dysregulation.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Male; Female; Affective Symptoms; Emotions; Behavior, Addictive
PubMed: 38479516
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.03.060 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Oct 2022Alexithymia, including the inability to identify and express one's own feelings, is a subclinical condition responsible for some of the socioemotional symptoms seen... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Alexithymia, including the inability to identify and express one's own feelings, is a subclinical condition responsible for some of the socioemotional symptoms seen across a range of psychiatric conditions. The language hypothesis of alexithymia posits a language-mediated disruption in the development of discrete emotion concepts from ambiguous affective states, exacerbating the risk of developing alexithymia in language-impaired individuals. To provide a critical evaluation, a systematic review and meta-analysis of 29 empirical studies of language functioning in alexithymia was performed. A modest association was found between alexithymia and multi-domain language deficits (r = -0.14), including structural language, pragmatics, and propensity to use emotional language. A more theoretically-relevant subsample analysis comparing alexithymia levels in language-impaired and typical individuals revealed larger effects, but a limited number of studies adopted this approach. A synthesis of 11 emotional granularity studies also found an association between alexithymia and reduced emotional granularity (r = -0.10). Language impairments seem to increase the risk of alexithymia. Heterogeneous samples and methods suggest the need for studies with improved alexithymia assessments.
Topics: Affective Symptoms; Emotions; Humans; Language; Personality Inventory
PubMed: 36087760
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104864 -
Journal of Gambling Studies Mar 2022Alexithymia, difficulties in emotion regulation, and negative affect play an important role in adolescents who present pathological gambling. Therefore, the objectives...
Alexithymia, difficulties in emotion regulation, and negative affect play an important role in adolescents who present pathological gambling. Therefore, the objectives of the present study were, firstly, to analyze the differences between alexithymia, difficulties in emotion regulation, and positive and negative affect in adolescents with and without risk of gambling problems. Secondly, the relationships between all the variables of the study in adolescents with and without risk of problem gambling were analyzed separately. Thirdly, we analyzed the mediating role of positive and negative affect in the relationship between alexithymia and dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies (ERS) in adolescents at risk of gambling problems. The sample was composed of 206 adolescents with ages ranging from 12 to 18 years (M = 15.52; SD = 1.43). They were divided into two groups according to the score obtained in the South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised for Adolescents (SOGS-RA). Thus, 84 were included in the group without risk of gambling problems and 122 in the group at risk of gambling problems. The results obtained revealed higher scores in negative affect and pathological gambling in the group at risk of gambling problems. Likewise, positive relationships between alexithymia, maladaptive emotion regulation strategies (MERS), and affect were found. Mediation analyses showed that difficulties in identifying feelings were indirectly related to greater use of dysfunctional ERS through their relationship with negative affect in at-risk gamblers.
Topics: Adolescent; Affective Symptoms; Child; Emotional Regulation; Emotions; Gambling; Humans
PubMed: 34250551
DOI: 10.1007/s10899-021-10057-8 -
Neuropsychologia Sep 2017Alexithymia is a multidimensional personality construct characterized by difficulties identifying and describing one's feelings, and externally oriented thinking.... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Alexithymia is a multidimensional personality construct characterized by difficulties identifying and describing one's feelings, and externally oriented thinking. Although extensively reported in psychiatric patients, little attention has been paid regarding its occurrence and its pathophysiology in the context of multiple sclerosis (MS).
METHODS
A research was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines aiming to identify original research articles in English and French languages about alexithymia in MS. Computerized databases (MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus) were consulted. The key terms used were the following: ('multiple sclerosis' OR 'MS') AND ('alexithymia' OR 'alexithymic' OR 'emotion processing' OR 'emotion awareness' OR 'Toronto Alexithymia Scale' OR 'Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire') AND ('imaging' OR 'neuroimaging' OR 'magnetic resonance imaging' or 'MRI'). References of the retrieved papers were scanned manually aiming to get additional sources.
RESULTS
14 papers matched the above criteria. The prevalence of alexithymia in MS ranges from 10% to 53%. It seems to be associated with anxiety, depression, fatigue, and some social cognitive aspects. Its relationship with clinical and classical cognitive variables was rarely assessed. Finally, only one study has addressed its pathophysiology and has suggested an aberrant interhemispheric transfer.
CONCLUSION
Admitting the prevalence of alexithymia in MS and its potential negative impact on the quality of life and interpersonal communication, screening for it is relevant for a better management. Its relationship with clinical, emotional and cognitive confounders merits to be further evaluated. Large-scale studies, employing neuroimaging techniques, are greatly needed in order to disentangle the neural underpinnings of this trait in MS.
Topics: Affective Symptoms; Databases, Bibliographic; Humans; Multiple Sclerosis
PubMed: 28764994
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.07.034