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Children (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2023The literature has long recognized that parental emotional competence, that is, the ability to express, understand, and regulate emotions, plays a key role in children's...
The literature has long recognized that parental emotional competence, that is, the ability to express, understand, and regulate emotions, plays a key role in children's development from early childhood. Nevertheless, the effect of parental alexithymia, which can be understood as a deficit in emotional competence, has not been thoroughly studied. In particular, the association between paternal alexithymia and behavioral problems in young children is still a neglected area of research. This study aims to investigate the association between paternal alexithymia and children's internalizing and externalizing problems during the first three years of life, including whether overreactive parenting practices mediate the effect of alexithymia on children's behavioral problems. A sample of 203 fathers of children aged 18-36 months were administered the TAS-20, the Overreactivity subscale of the Parenting Scale, and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)/1½-5. The data indicate that paternal alexithymia is a predictor of children's internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems and that paternal overreactivity mediates the effect of alexithymia. These results highlight the importance of preventing parental alexithymia and involving fathers in parenting support programs aimed at ensuring children's mental health and adjustment.
PubMed: 37761459
DOI: 10.3390/children10091498 -
Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in... 2023Alexithymia has been found to be associated with several somatic illnesses, such as cardiovascular, indicating that it might be a risk factor for early death in the... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Alexithymia has been found to be associated with several somatic illnesses, such as cardiovascular, indicating that it might be a risk factor for early death in the long-term course of post-myocardial infarction. From the cardiology perspective, the aim was to collect current evidence about the relationship between alexithymia and somatic illness.
METHODS
The literature was synthesized and summarized in a narrative format. The literature search was carried out in PubMed. Pertinent studies published in the last 50 years written in English were included and organized by three main topics ("The relation between alexithymia and somatic illness from the cardiology perspective"; "How do assess alexithymia?"; "Treating alexithymia") to be discussed.
RESULTS
High alexithymia is a dimensional trait that affects around 10% of the general population and up to 55% of people with essential hypertension. Also, the link between alexithymia and cardiovascular activity has been pointed out. There are several validated tools to assess alexithymia, as well as treatment options.
CONCLUSION
Knowledge about the main features of alexithymia, as well as its assessment and treatment, can promote a multifactorial approach to the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of cardiac diseases.
PubMed: 37916203
DOI: 10.2174/17450179-v19-230810-2022-HT15-4764-1 -
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland) Feb 2024This study aims to explore the mediating role of mental imagery in the relationship between alexithymia and parental psychological control among Chinese university...
This study aims to explore the mediating role of mental imagery in the relationship between alexithymia and parental psychological control among Chinese university students. Conducted between March and April 2023, this descriptive study involved 282 volunteer participants from a university in southern China. Data collection included the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), the Parental Psychological Control Scale (PPC), and the Vividness of Visual Mental Imagery questionnaire (VVIQ). The results revealed that: (1) based on established cut-off, 81 students were identified as highly alexithymic; (2) the alexithymia group scored higher on both the TAS and PPC and lower on the VVIQ compared to the non-alexithymia and possible-alexithymia groups; and (3) mediating analysis demonstrated a strong and positive correlation between parental psychological control and alexithymia for all participants, with visual mental imagery mediating this relationship. This study underscores the interconnectedness of parental psychological control, visual mental imagery, and alexithymia among college students. The theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are also discussed.
PubMed: 38540486
DOI: 10.3390/bs14030183 -
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 -
Revue de L'infirmiere May 2024Disruptive Emotional Dysregulation Disorder (DEDD) responds to an increase in diagnoses of clastic crises, reactive depression and bipolarity in children and... (Review)
Review
Disruptive Emotional Dysregulation Disorder (DEDD) responds to an increase in diagnoses of clastic crises, reactive depression and bipolarity in children and adolescents. Emerging in the 1990s, EDD has become an issue for practitioners, parents and teachers alike, and has become an integral part of the landscape of paediatric and child psychiatric disorders. Its diagnostic complexity is accentuated by criteria that include persistent and disproportionate outbursts of anger, often confused with other pathologies, especially as diagnostic tools are few and far between. Professionals in the field know little about EDD, preferring to diagnose more familiar disorders.
Topics: Humans; Child; Adolescent; Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders; Affective Symptoms
PubMed: 38796244
DOI: 10.1016/j.revinf.2024.04.012 -
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2023Sleep disorders are prevalent among patients with schizophrenia and are associated with several negative consequences. Although, researchers have recently suggested that...
BACKGROUND
Sleep disorders are prevalent among patients with schizophrenia and are associated with several negative consequences. Although, researchers have recently suggested that sleep disorders have a close correlation with alexithymia, and schizophrenia also has a strong correlation with alexithymia, there have been few studies on the relationships between schizophrenia, sleep disorders and alexithymia. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the relationships between psychiatric symptoms, alexithymia and sleep problems in patients with schizophrenia so as to provide a reference for the clinical treatment of this comorbidity.
METHODS
In total, 977 patients with schizophrenia were recruited for this study. The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) was used to assess sleep disorders, and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) were used to evaluate clinical symptoms, cognitive functions and the ability to express emotion, respectively.
RESULTS
The results indicated that the PANSS subscales (G-subscore) and TAS group were risk factors for insomnia in schizophrenia patients (all < 0.05). The mediation model showed the standardized path coefficients from schizophrenia to alexithymia ( = 0.104, < 0.001) and from alexithymia to insomnia ( = 0.038, < 0.001) were statistically significant.
CONCLUSION
The results of this study indicated that alexithymia is associated with sleep disturbance in patients with schizophrenia. These findings may provide a new avenue for the treatment of schizophrenia patients with sleep disorders.
PubMed: 38161729
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1252763 -
Supportive Care in Cancer : Official... Nov 2023To systematically evaluate the prevalence of alexithymia in cancer patients and to compare the prevalence of alexithymia in different countries, genders, and cancer... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
PURPOSE
To systematically evaluate the prevalence of alexithymia in cancer patients and to compare the prevalence of alexithymia in different countries, genders, and cancer types.
METHODS
We thoroughly searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PsychINFO, China Integrated Knowledge Resource Database, Wanfang Database, Weipu Database, and Chinese Biomedical Database for studies on the prevalence of alexithymia in cancer patients from the inception to April 2, 2023. Based on the Stata 15.0 software package, the prevalence of alexithymia in cancer patients was estimated using a random-effects model in this meta-analysis.
RESULTS
Eighteen studies with a total of 3,196 participants met the eligibility criteria for the meta-analysis. In 18 studies, 37.0% (95% CI: 28.0% - 46.0%) of cancer patients had alexithymia. 13 studies identified that the pooled mean score of alexithymia in cancer patients was 56.91 (95% CI: 54.44% to 59.37%). The prevalence of alexithymia was higher in cancer patients in developing countries (39.7%, 95% CI: 28.7% to 50.7%), males (40.0%, 95% CI: 24.0% to 55.9%), and colorectal cancer patients (47.3%, 95% CI: 21.3% to 93.3%).
CONCLUSIONS
Our study found that the pooled prevalence of alexithymia in cancer patients was 37.0%, and higher in developing countries, males, and patients with colorectal cancer. Understanding the current status of alexithymia in cancer patients, timely identification and treatment by medical practitioners can improve the prognosis of cancer patients.
CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION
The protocol was registered in PROSPERO [CRD42023414665].
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Prevalence; Affective Symptoms; Research Design; China; Colorectal Neoplasms
PubMed: 37932546
DOI: 10.1007/s00520-023-08106-6 -
Child Abuse & Neglect Dec 2023The relationship between childhood maltreatment and eating disorder psychopathology has been under-investigated.
BACKGROUND
The relationship between childhood maltreatment and eating disorder psychopathology has been under-investigated.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of alexithymia in mediating the relationship between childhood maltreatment experiences and eating disorder (ED) symptoms.
PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING
One-hundred-forty-three women with anorexia nervosa, 110 women with bulimia nervosa and 108 healthy women filled in the Eating Disorder Inventory-2, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20).
METHODS
A mediator path model including childhood trauma types as predictors, the subscales of the TAS-20 as mediators and ED specific symptoms as dependent variables was conducted in individuals with EDs and in healthy women.
RESULTS
In women with EDs emotional abuse was directly associated with body dissatisfaction and was associated to drive to thinness, bulimia and body dissatisfaction through the mediation of difficulties to identify emotions. In healthy women, physical neglect was directly associated to drive to thinness and bulimia, but no significant mediation effect through alexithymia emerged.
CONCLUSION
Impaired emotion recognition mediates the association between childhood emotional abuse and ED symptoms. Individuals with early emotional abuse may experience ED symptoms to manage confused emotional perceptions. Improving emotional understanding and acceptance may be a treatment target in early maltreated individuals with EDs.
Topics: Humans; Female; Child; Affective Symptoms; Bulimia; Thinness; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Child Abuse
PubMed: 37820393
DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106496 -
Scientific Reports Apr 2024There is a certain relationship between alexithymia and depression, but further investigation is needed to explore their underlying mechanisms. The aims of this study...
There is a certain relationship between alexithymia and depression, but further investigation is needed to explore their underlying mechanisms. The aims of this study was to explore the mediating role of internet addiction between alexithymia and depression and the moderating role of physical activity. A total of 594 valid responses were included in the analysis, with a mean age of 18.72 years (SD = 1.09). The sample comprised 250 males (42.09%) and 344 females (57.91%). These responses were utilized for descriptive analysis, correlation analysis, regression analysis, and the development of mediation and moderation models. Alexithymia showed positive correlations with depression and internet addiction, and physical activity was negatively correlated with internet addiction and depression. Internet addiction partially mediated the relationship between alexithymia and depression, while physical activity weakened the association between internet addiction and depression, acting as a moderator. Our findings suggest that excessive Internet engagement may mediate the relationship between alexithymia and depression as an emotional regulatory coping strategy, and that physical activity attenuates the predictive effect of Internet addiction on depression.
Topics: Humans; Internet Addiction Disorder; Depression; Affective Symptoms; Exercise; China; Students; Correlation of Data; Male; Female; Adolescent; Young Adult; Regression Analysis
PubMed: 38684733
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60326-w -
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