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Journal of Autism and Developmental... Feb 2022Recent evidence suggests that, contrary to traditional views, empathy difficulties may not be a core feature of autism; but are rather due to co-occurring alexithymia....
Recent evidence suggests that, contrary to traditional views, empathy difficulties may not be a core feature of autism; but are rather due to co-occurring alexithymia. Empathy, alexithymia and autistic traits have yet to be examined concurrently in children. Therefore, we examined the co-occurrence of empathy difficulties and alexithymia in 59 typically developing and 5 autistic children. Multiple measures (self-report, parent-report and a behavioural task) were used to evaluate empathy and to assess differences in self- and parent-reports using multiple regressions. Alexithymia was found to predict empathy significantly better than autistic traits, providing support for the alexithymia hypothesis. From a therapeutic perspective, results suggest autistic children who screen positive for elevated alexithymic traits may benefit from additional support targeting emotion identification.
Topics: Affective Symptoms; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Autistic Disorder; Child; Emotions; Empathy; Humans
PubMed: 33788077
DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-04986-x -
Drug and Alcohol Dependence Dec 2020Although prior work indicates a link between childhood trauma, alexithymia, and mental states recognition, empirical support is limited. Moreover, findings based on... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
BACKGROUND
Although prior work indicates a link between childhood trauma, alexithymia, and mental states recognition, empirical support is limited. Moreover, findings based on adult samples are mixed. Previous studies demonstrate that childhood trauma might either enhance, preserve, or reduce mental states recognition in selected at-risk populations. The current study investigates whether alcohol use disorder (AUD) status moderates the association between childhood trauma, alexithymia, and mental states recognition in a treatment-seeking AUD sample and non-AUD healthy adults.
METHODS
Data comes from 255 individuals participating in an ongoing project that compares emotional and behavioral functioning of patients treated in an inpatient setting for AUD and a comparison sample of 172 healthy controls (HCs). Mental states recognition was measured using a computerized version of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task (RMET). The presence of childhood trauma was assessed with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Alexithymia was measured with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Demographic information, as well as alcohol drinking and psychopathological symptoms were assessed. A moderated mediation model was estimated whereby alexithymia was included as a mediator in the association between childhood trauma and RMET performance, with AUD diagnosis status moderating the link between alexithymia and RMET performance.
RESULTS
Findings provide support for moderated mediation. Childhood emotional trauma impacted negative mental states recognition performance via difficulty describing feelings, but only among HCs (p < 0.01).
CONCLUSIONS
Findings highlight the impact that AUD status has on the association between early life emotional trauma and difficulty describing feelings on individual differences in mental states recognition.
Topics: Adult; Affective Symptoms; Alcoholism; Child; Child Abuse; Emotions; Female; Healthy Volunteers; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Recognition, Psychology; Retrospective Studies; Self Report; Surveys and Questionnaires; Theory of Mind
PubMed: 32979738
DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108301 -
International Journal of Environmental... Aug 2021Accurate measures of alexithymia, an inability to recognise and describe one's own emotions, that are suitable for children are crucial for research into alexithymia's...
Accurate measures of alexithymia, an inability to recognise and describe one's own emotions, that are suitable for children are crucial for research into alexithymia's development. However, previous research suggests that parent versus child reports of alexithymia do not correlate. Potentially, children may report on the awareness of their emotions, whereas parent-report measures may reflect children's verbal expression of emotion, which may be confounded by children's communicative abilities, especially in conditions such as Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Given theoretical arguments that alexithymia may develop due to language impairments, further research into alexithymia in DLD is also needed. This project examined parent and child report measures of alexithymia in children with DLD ( = 106) and without DLD ( = 183), and their association to children's communication skills. Parent and child reports were not significantly correlated in either group, and children with DLD had higher alexithymia scores on the parent-report measure only. Thus, parent and child measures of alexithymia likely reflect different constructs. Pragmatic language problems related to more parent-reported alexithymia, over and above group membership. Structural language abilities were unrelated to alexithymia. We suggest decreased social learning opportunities, rather than a language measure artefact, underlie increased alexithymic difficulties in DLD.
Topics: Affective Symptoms; Emotions; Humans; Language; Language Development Disorders; Parent-Child Relations
PubMed: 34444058
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18168309 -
Turk Psikiyatri Dergisi = Turkish... 2019The aim of this study was to compare schizophrenia patients with and without Deficit Syndrome (DS) with respect to alexithymia, depression and negative symptoms and to...
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to compare schizophrenia patients with and without Deficit Syndrome (DS) with respect to alexithymia, depression and negative symptoms and to investigate the relationship between these variables.
METHOD
A total of 210 schizophrenia patients who joined the study were grouped on the basis of the Schedule for the Deficit Syndrome (SDS). Each patient was evaluated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) and the UKU - Side Effect Rating Scale (UKU-SERS).
RESULTS
The DS group had higher alexithymia scores that were not related to the negative symptoms. The prevalence of depression was significantly lower in the same group. Positive symptoms in the DS group were negatively correlated with the two TAS subscales of difficulty describing and identifying feelings. The negative symptoms scores of all the patients with and without DS correlated positively with the mean score on the TAS subscales. The severity of depressive and the negative symptoms predicted alexithymic symptoms.
CONCLUSION
Lack of a correlation between the negative symptoms and alexithymic symptoms in DS suggested that the respective symptoms represented different independent phenomena in schizophrenia. A future study might explore the relationship between alexithymia and negative symptoms in association with cognitive functioning.
Topics: Adult; Affective Symptoms; Depressive Disorder; Female; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Male; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychometrics; Schizophrenia
PubMed: 32594483
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal of Psychosomatic Research Aug 2017The aim of this review was to synthesise the literature on the use of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) in eating disorder populations and Healthy Controls (HCs) and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this review was to synthesise the literature on the use of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) in eating disorder populations and Healthy Controls (HCs) and to compare TAS scores in these groups.
METHOD
Electronic databases were searched systematically for studies using the TAS and meta-analyses were performed to statistically compare scores on the TAS between individuals with eating disorders and HCs.
RESULTS
Forty-eight studies using the TAS with both a clinical eating disorder group and HCs were identified. Of these, 44 were included in the meta-analyses, separated into: Anorexia Nervosa; Anorexia Nervosa, Restricting subtype; Anorexia Nervosa, Binge-Purge subtype, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder. For all groups, there were significant differences with medium or large effect sizes between the clinical group and HCs, with the clinical group scoring significantly higher on the TAS, indicating greater difficulty with identifying and labelling emotions.
CONCLUSION
Across the spectrum of eating disorders, individuals report having difficulties recognising or describing their emotions. Given the self-report design of the TAS, research to develop and evaluate treatments and clinician-administered assessments of alexithymia is warranted.
Topics: Adult; Affective Symptoms; Canada; Emotions; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Female; Humans; Male
PubMed: 28712432
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.06.007 -
The Journal of International Medical... Apr 2020The burnout syndrome represents a defence mechanism against stress and includes stages with decreased ability to experience feelings and emotional states. This finding...
OBJECTIVE
The burnout syndrome represents a defence mechanism against stress and includes stages with decreased ability to experience feelings and emotional states. This finding suggests that burnout might be closely linked to emotional ‘blindness’ as a defence mechanism against negative and overwhelming emotions known as alexithymia. The aim of this study is to examine the relationships between burnout syndrome, alexithymia, depression and traumatic stress symptoms in healthcare professionals.
METHODS
This empirical study assessed female healthcare professionals who work with a population of patients with diabetes, utilizing the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-HSSMP), Burnout Measure (BM), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and Traumatic Stress Checklist (TSC-40). Data were analysed using Spearman’s correlation coefficient.
RESULTS
A total of 114 female participants were included (age range, 31–60 years; mean age, 46.62 ± 8.71 years). Statistically significant associations were found between burnout syndrome (BM scores) and alexithymia (TAS-20) ( = 0.41), and between BM scores and traumatic stress (TSC-40; = 0.63). The MBI-HSSMP emotional exhaustion subscale also correlated with alexithymia (TAS-20) ( = 0.37).
CONCLUSION
Findings of this study suggest that alexithymia and traumatic stress are related to burnout symptoms. This dynamic may be potentially useful for detecting and preventing burnout syndrome.
Topics: Adult; Affective Symptoms; Burnout, Professional; Czech Republic; Delivery of Health Care; Female; Health Personnel; Humans; Middle Aged; Stress Disorders, Traumatic; Stress, Psychological; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 32326854
DOI: 10.1177/0300060519887633 -
Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy Mar 2022The research into emotional regulation in eating disorders (EDs) has shown specific impairments and maladaptive coping strategies in patients, and there is an increasing...
The research into emotional regulation in eating disorders (EDs) has shown specific impairments and maladaptive coping strategies in patients, and there is an increasing interest in the role of the emotional domain in the treatment outcome. This study aims to evaluate the effect of a specialized inpatient treatment characterized by both an intensive and comprehensive standardized multidisciplinary programme based on cognitive-behavioural therapy and a flexible and personalized component implemented by third-wave interventions. A cohort of 67 female ED patients (anorexia nervosa = 28, bulimia nervosa = 28 and binge eating disorder = 11) underwent an evaluation of emotional regulation difficulties, alexithymia and dissociative symptomatology at admission to a specialized ED ward. The psychological modifications were subsequently re-evaluated upon discharge, after an inpatients treatment of 60 days, examining specific changes in the specific psychopathology. A significant improvement after specialized ED treatment was shown in alexithymia, emotional regulation difficulties and dissociation symptoms, with higher effect sizes in patients with higher alexithymia scores. As regards the specific effect of the psychological improvement, changes into alexithymia scores have shown specific correlations with ED psychopathology (p < 0.010) and with difficulties in emotional regulation (p < 0.010) in patients with higher alexithymia levels at admission. Emotional regulation and dissociation should therefore be evaluated in ED patients and may be improved with specific therapeutic approaches, while alexithymia remains a clinical trait, even with a significant reduction.
Topics: Affective Symptoms; Anorexia Nervosa; Bulimia Nervosa; Emotional Regulation; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Female; Humans; Inpatients
PubMed: 34432335
DOI: 10.1002/cpp.2665 -
The Journal of Nervous and Mental... Feb 2011Studies have found higher levels of alexithymia in schizophrenic subjects relative to controls, with an overall higher level of emotional arousal and social withdrawal....
Studies have found higher levels of alexithymia in schizophrenic subjects relative to controls, with an overall higher level of emotional arousal and social withdrawal. The present study is an extension of this research to the assessment of schizotypy in a nonclinical sample. Seventy-two undergraduate students (40 female; 21.6 ± 6.38 years) were recruited to participate in this study. Consistent with earlier research, our results show that both schizotypy and alexithymia are associated with relatively poor socioemotional functioning across the variables of depression, anxiety, social functioning, and overall quality of life. Further, our results show that the significant associations found between alexithymia and these 4 outcome variables was predicated on shared variance with schizotypy. When both alexithymia and schizotypy were regressed onto these variables as independent predictors, the contribution of alexithymia was consistently nonsignificant. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of hypothesized substrates of alexithymia.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Affect; Affective Symptoms; Anxiety; Depression; Emotions; Female; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Male; Quality of Life; Risk Factors; Schizophrenic Psychology; Schizotypal Personality Disorder; Social Adjustment; Young Adult
PubMed: 21278541
DOI: 10.1097/NMD.0b013e3182083bc4 -
World Journal of Gastroenterology Jul 2016The review focuses on those personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness), constructs (alexithymia and... (Review)
Review
The review focuses on those personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness), constructs (alexithymia and distressed - Type D personality) and emotional patterns (negative and positive) that are of particular concern in health psychology, with the aim to highlight their potential role on the pathogenesis, onset, symptom clusters, clinical course, and outcome of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Personality traits and emotional patterns play key roles in affecting autonomic, immune, inflammatory, and endocrine functions, thus contributing not only to IBS clinical expression and symptomatic burden, but also to disease physiopathology. In this sense, psychological treatments should address those personality traits and emotional features that are constitutive of, and integral to IBS. The biopsychosocial model of illness applied to IBS acknowledges the interaction between biological, psychological, environmental, and social factors in relation to pain and functional disability. A holistic approach to IBS should take into account the heterogeneous nature of the disorder, and differentiate treatments for different types of IBS, also considering the marked individual differences in prevalent personality traits and emotional patterns. Beyond medications, and lifestyle/dietary interventions, psychological and educational treatments may provide the optimal chance of addressing clinical symptoms, comorbid conditions, and quality of life in IBS patients.
Topics: Affective Symptoms; Anxiety Disorders; Emotions; Extraversion, Psychological; Humans; Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Neuroticism; Personality; Quality of Life; Stress, Psychological; Type D Personality
PubMed: 27605876
DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i28.6402 -
European Review For Medical and... Jan 2020The aim of the study is to assess alexithymia levels in obese patients using a multimethod measurement (TAS-20 and TSIA) to evaluate both possible differences between...
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study is to assess alexithymia levels in obese patients using a multimethod measurement (TAS-20 and TSIA) to evaluate both possible differences between the two instruments and their relationship with body weight.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
54 obese patients, seeking surgical treatment, were enrolled. They completed a socio-demographic questionnaire, 20-items Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Toronto Structured Interview for Alexithymia.
RESULTS
Data analysis showed a significant positive association between TAS-20 and TSIA total scores (r=.28, p<.05), but only the TSIA score was positively related to body weight (r=.39; p<.001). Multivariable linear regression models showed the predictive effects of TSIA total score (beta=.41; p<.001) and difficulty in identifying feelings (DIF) (beta=.56; p<.001) respectively on weight.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings showed a different association between body weight and alexithymia according to the instrument employed to evaluate alexithymia, supporting the importance of a multimethod assessment in some clinical conditions.
Topics: Adult; Affective Symptoms; Bariatric Surgery; Female; Humans; Italy; Male; Middle Aged; Obesity; Preoperative Care; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychological Tests; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 32016988
DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202001_20066