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Neurologia Jun 2023Alexithymia is a neuropsychiatric symptom conceptualized as difficulty identifying and describing feelings. Although associated with other non-motor symptoms, mainly...
INTRODUCTION
Alexithymia is a neuropsychiatric symptom conceptualized as difficulty identifying and describing feelings. Although associated with other non-motor symptoms, mainly neuropsychiatric, alexithymia may present as an isolated symptom in persons with Parkinson's Disease (PwP). The objective of the study is to identify determinants of alexithymia and its association with quality of life (QoL) in Parkinson's disease.
METHODS
Subjects with Parkinson's disease were recruited. The following instruments were applied: Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS), Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-20) and Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-8). Matched healthy controls were screened using TAS-20. Clinical and demographical variables were compared between alexithymic and non-alexithymic. Regression models were used to find determinants of alexithymia. Impact of alexithymia on QoL was estimated with a linear regression model.
RESULTS
98 patients were included. 56.1% PwP and 28.8% controls were alexithymic (p<0.001). Education level (OR 0.86) and NMSS urinary score (OR 1.09) determined alexithymia as well as TAS-20 score. Alexithymia was an independent determinant of QoL.
CONCLUSIONS
Alexithymia is a prevalent independent non-motor symptom in PwP with impact on QoL. Low education level and urinary symptoms are important determinants of alexithymia.
Topics: Humans; Parkinson Disease; Affective Symptoms; Quality of Life; Mental Status and Dementia Tests; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 37263728
DOI: 10.1016/j.nrleng.2020.10.015 -
Psychiatria Danubina 2022The popularity of smart phones not only brings great convenience to people's lives, but also makes people more dependent on them. This study aims to explore the causes...
BACKGROUND
The popularity of smart phones not only brings great convenience to people's lives, but also makes people more dependent on them. This study aims to explore the causes of mobile phone addiction in adolescents and clarify its correlation with childhood abuse, neglect, and alexithymia.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
A total of 684 middle school students from Jingzhou City in China were selected as research participants to investigate the degree of childhood psychological abuse, neglect and alexithymia by using the "Child Psychological Abuse and Neglect Scale (CPANS)," "Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale (MPATS)," and "Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS)". According to survey results of mobile phone addiction, they were divided into the tendency group and the control group.
RESULTS
Students in the tendency group have shown higher scores in the dimensions of psychological abuse (scolding, intimidation and interference), neglect (emotional, education, physical/supervisory), compared to the control group. The total scores of psychological abuse and neglect were positively related to the total score of mobile phone addiction tendency. Students in the tendency group have shown higher scores in emotion identification difficulty, emotion description difficulty, extroversion thinking, and total scores of alexithymia than those of control group. The total score of alexithymia was positively related to the total score of mobile phone addiction tendency. Regression analysis has shown that childhood psychological abuse and neglect could significantly predict the mobile phone addiction status in students. Alexithymia could also significantly predict the mobile phone addiction status among the student sample.
CONCLUSION
Childhood abuse, neglect, and alexithymia were positively related to mobile phone addiction, and all of them had a significant regression-based predictive role regarding the mobile phone addiction in adolescents.
Topics: Humans; Adolescent; Child; Affective Symptoms; Physical Abuse; Emotions; Technology Addiction; Child Abuse; Cell Phone
PubMed: 36548877
DOI: 10.24869/psyd.2022.653 -
Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine... Jul 2023Alexithymia literally meaning 'no words for emotions' is a term used in mental health settings to describe people who have difficulties in identifying and verbalizing... (Review)
Review
Alexithymia literally meaning 'no words for emotions' is a term used in mental health settings to describe people who have difficulties in identifying and verbalizing their emotional states. There is evidence in the literature that this personality trait may influence negatively the illness behavior when an acute coronary event occurs. In fact, people with high alexithymia are more likely to experience wrong appraisal and interpretation of symptoms, and because of their difficulty in describing feelings to others, they can be poor in reporting symptoms at the first consultation with a physician. This behavioral pattern (alexithymic) may put patients with acute myocardial infarction at higher risk for delayed medical care. Here, we aim to present an overview of alexithymia from the perspective of the clinical cardiologist, with a focus on the definition, clinical recognition, and potential impact on cardiovascular health.
Topics: Humans; Affective Symptoms; Cardiologists; Emotions
PubMed: 37129913
DOI: 10.2459/JCM.0000000000001487 -
Omega Aug 2022When confronted with traumatic accidents and events that result in death, people are at risk of developing death anxiety. Due to their stressful job, emergency medical...
INTRODUCTION
When confronted with traumatic accidents and events that result in death, people are at risk of developing death anxiety. Due to their stressful job, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) will develop alexithymia and be unable to express and manage their emotions over time. Studies show that alexithymia causes physical and mental disorders in many people. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between death anxiety and alexithymia in EMTs.
METHODS
The convenience sampling method was used to select 400 EMTs in southeastern Iran who met the inclusion criteria for this descriptive-analytical study. The Templer Death Anxiety Scale and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale were used to collect data. SPSS version 20 was used to analyze the data, which included descriptive and analytical statistics (Independent t test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and regression).
RESULTS
The results of the study showed that the mean score of death anxiety in EMTs was 10.26 ± 3.69. It was revealed that 46.7% of the EMTs experienced severe death anxiety. Furthermore, the total mean score of alexithymia in EMTs was 59.65 ± 8.28, indicating the possibility of alexithymia. The Pearson correlation test showed a direct moderate relationship between death anxiety and alexithymia scores (r = .351, p < .001).
CONCLUSION
According to the results, there is a direct significant relationship between death anxiety and alexithymia in EMTs. Therefore, it is suggested that EMTs be continuously taught effective methods to deal with death anxiety and reduce the physical and mental disorders caused by this problem.
Topics: Affective Symptoms; Anxiety; Emergency Medical Technicians; Emotions; Humans; Mental Disorders
PubMed: 34875936
DOI: 10.1177/00302228211053475 -
European Eating Disorders Review : the... May 2022Alexithymia is proposed as a prominent clinical feature of eating disorders (EDs). However, despite theoretical reason to believe that alexithymia could interfere with...
OBJECTIVE
Alexithymia is proposed as a prominent clinical feature of eating disorders (EDs). However, despite theoretical reason to believe that alexithymia could interfere with the success of treatments, few studies have tested whether alexithymia changes over the course of treatment. The goals of the current study were to evaluate (a) changes in alexithymia over the course of intensive Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) for EDs, and (b) associations between alexithymia and ED symptoms over time.
METHOD
A mixed-diagnostic group of patients with EDs (N = 894) completed the Eating Disorders Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) throughout intensive treatment and at various lengths of follow-up (6, 12, 24 months).
RESULTS
Results suggested that even after controlling for relevant covariates, there were significant decreases in alexithymia from intake to discharge and discharge to follow-up. Models exploring changes in self-reported ED symptoms indicated that TAS-20 scores significantly related to ED symptoms across timepoints, such that greater alexithymia was associated with greater severity of symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS
Altogether, findings support an association between alexithymia and ED symptoms over treatment and suggest that emotion-focussed therapies like DBT may result in decreases in alexithymia. Future research should explore whether this effect is consistent across therapies without an emotional focus.
Topics: Affective Symptoms; Dialectical Behavior Therapy; Emotions; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Humans
PubMed: 35137501
DOI: 10.1002/erv.2887 -
Eating and Weight Disorders : EWD Dec 2022Anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with challenges in recognizing, understanding, and interpreting one's own and other's emotional states, feelings, and thoughts. It is...
PURPOSE
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with challenges in recognizing, understanding, and interpreting one's own and other's emotional states, feelings, and thoughts. It is unknown whether difficulties in emotion processing occur independently of common comorbid symptoms of AN and predict acute eating disorder characteristics. We aimed to examine emotion recognition, alexithymia, emotion regulation, and empathy in individuals with AN and to assess whether these predict eating disorder symptoms independently from comorbid symptoms.
METHODS
Participants included 42 women with AN and 40 healthy control (HC) women between 18-30 years. Basic and complex emotion recognition was assessed with face photos and video clips. Alexithymia, empathy, emotion regulation, and comorbid symptoms (anxiety, depressive, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms and ASD traits) were assessed with self-assessment questionnaires.
RESULTS
Participants with AN exhibited difficulties in basic and complex emotion recognition, as well as increased alexithymia, decreased empathy, and challenges in emotion regulation when compared to HCs. After controlling for comorbid symptoms, differences remained only in complex emotion recognition. Challenges in emotion recognition were associated with lower body mass index, and increased alexithymia was associated with increased eating disorder symptoms. Increased challenges in emotion regulation were associated with a shorter duration of illness, higher body mass index, and increased eating disorder symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS
Participants with AN displayed widespread deficit in emotion processing, but only challenges in complex emotion recognition occurred independently from comorbid symptoms. Deficits in emotion processing may contribute to the illness severity and thus could be an important treatment target.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
Level III, case-control analytic study.
Topics: Female; Humans; Empathy; Affective Symptoms; Anorexia Nervosa; Emotional Regulation; Emotions
PubMed: 36258146
DOI: 10.1007/s40519-022-01496-2 -
Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia 2017Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory, relapsing skin disease that has a psychosocial impact on the patients' life.
BACKGROUND:
Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory, relapsing skin disease that has a psychosocial impact on the patients' life.
OBJECTIVE:
This study aimed to investigate psychopathology in patients with psoriasis based on a valid psychometric instrument, as well as on the relationship between psychopathology and alexithymia.
METHODS:
108 patients with psoriasis were included in the study. Psychopathology was evaluated with the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) and alexithymia with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Disease severity was clinically assessed using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index.
RESULTS:
As regards the psychopathological dimensions, female patients presented with statistically significant higher somatization, depression, anxiety, phobic anxiety, and psychoticism than males. Patients with alexithymia presented with statistically significant higher somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, and phobic anxiety than non-alexithymic patients. Alexithymia positively correlated with somatization (r = 0.26, p < 0.01), interpersonal sensitivity (r = 0.24, p < 0.05), depression (r = 0.27, p < 0.01), anxiety (r = 0.26, p < 0.01), and phobic anxiety (r = 0.26, p < 0.01). In addition, alexithymia also contributed to the prediction of these conditions.
STUDY LIMITATIONS:
A larger study sample could yield safer generalized results. Nevertheless, to the best of our knowledge, this was the first study to investigate various psychopathological dimensions in patients with psoriasis.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our study results indicate that alexithymia and female sex were associated with several psychopathological dimensions in patients with psoriasis. It may be suggested that alexithymia constitutes an important factor in the development of mental disorders among patients with psoriasis.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Affective Symptoms; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anxiety; Checklist; Depressive Disorder; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Psoriasis; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychological Tests; Sex Distribution; Young Adult
PubMed: 28954100
DOI: 10.1590/abd1806-4841.20175660 -
European Archives of Psychiatry and... Apr 2023Alexithymia is a common, but less-recognized affective deficit in patients with schizophrenia. To date, no definitive conclusions have been drawn about the relationship...
Alexithymia is a common, but less-recognized affective deficit in patients with schizophrenia. To date, no definitive conclusions have been drawn about the relationship between alexithymia and the clinical symptoms or their clinical correlates, particularly in stable patients with schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the link between alexithymia and psychopathological symptoms, as well as any associated correlates, in stable patients with schizophrenia. A total of 435 Chinese patients with schizophrenia were recruited. The Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS) was used to evaluate each patient's psychopathological symptoms. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) was used to measure alexithymia. The percentage of alexithymia was 35.2% in stable patients with schizophrenia. Compared to non-alexithymia patients, patients with alexithymia had higher PANSS total scores, negative subscores, depressive subscores, and cognitive subscores (all p < 0.05). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that the following variables were positively associated with TAS-20 total scores: PANSS negative subscores (β = 0.274, t = 3.198, p = 0.001) and PANSS depressive subscores (β = 0.366, t = 2.500, p = 0.013). Education years (β = - 0.453, t = - 2.824, p = 0.005) was negatively associated with TAS-20 total scores. Our results suggest that the percentage of alexithymia was relatively higher in stable patients with schizophrenia. Education levels, negative symptoms, and depressive symptoms were independently associated with alexithymia in this specific population.
Topics: Humans; Affective Symptoms; Psychopathology; Schizophrenia; East Asian People
PubMed: 36239818
DOI: 10.1007/s00406-022-01492-8 -
European Journal of Dermatology : EJD Aug 2018Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that impairs patients' quality of life. Various psychiatric or psychological conditions have been...
BACKGROUND
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that impairs patients' quality of life. Various psychiatric or psychological conditions have been associated with HS, however, no data are available on alexithymia, a psychological construct characterized by the inability to express, describe, and recognize feelings.
OBJECTIVES
To assess the presence of alexithymia in HS patients.
MATERIALS & METHODS
Demographic and clinical data from patients with HS were collected. Alexithymia was assessed using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS)-20 questionnaire to define non-alexithymic subjects (scoring 20-50), borderline (possible) alexithymia subjects (scoring 51-60), and alexithymic subjects (scoring ≥61). The alexithymic personality trait is identified based on TAS-20 score ≥51.
RESULTS
This multicentre study included 86 HS patients, 100 obese individuals, and 85 healthy control subjects. The mean TAS-20 score was significantly higher in the HS patient cohort (55.37 ±13.42) than in the control group (40.96±10.47) (p<0.001). Compared to the healthy and obese control groups, the prevalence of alexithymic personality trait in HS patients was 61.6% versus 21.95% and 32%, respectively (p<0.001). Of the HS patients, 37.2% were classified as alexithymic and 24.4% as borderline alexithymia.
CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study in which an association between HS and alexithymia has been reported, expanding the spectrum of psychological disorders associated with HS.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Affective Symptoms; Aged; Case-Control Studies; Female; Healthy Volunteers; Hidradenitis Suppurativa; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Obesity; Prevalence; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult
PubMed: 30325328
DOI: 10.1684/ejd.2018.3368 -
Trauma, Violence & Abuse Jul 2024Intimate partner violence (IPV) encompasses physical, sexual, or psychological abuse. Recent evidence suggests that victims and perpetrators might share some common... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Intimate partner violence (IPV) encompasses physical, sexual, or psychological abuse. Recent evidence suggests that victims and perpetrators might share some common psychological characteristics. Particularly, high levels of alexithymia, a difficulty in identifying and expressing emotions, and an externally oriented thinking style were found in both victims and perpetrators when compared to the general population. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to quantify the levels of alexithymia in victims and perpetrators of IPV and compare these levels to controls. We systematically searched PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, using the following strings: ("intimate partner violence" OR "IPV" OR "partner abuse") AND ("alexithymia" OR "alexithymic"). The inclusion criteria were: adult perpetrators or victims of IPV; with or without a rehabilitation program; having or not a comparison group from the general population; alexithymia as outcome; all types of study design. Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria. Data were meta-analyzed with random-effects models. Results showed comparable levels of alexithymia in victims and perpetrators of IPV (mean = 55.92 vs. 55.15, respectively). Furthermore, we found increased alexithymia in victims (Hedges' g, 0.87 [95% CI 0.43, 1.31]) and perpetrators (Hedges' g, 0.94 [95% CI 0.77, 1.12]) compared to controls. These results highlight that both perpetrators and victims exhibited high levels of alexithymia. A deeper understanding of this psychological dimension can help professionals to plan better-tailored interventions, in which all relevant factors associated with IPV are considered.
Topics: Humans; Affective Symptoms; Intimate Partner Violence; Female; Crime Victims; Male; Emotions; Adult
PubMed: 38131327
DOI: 10.1177/15248380231217045