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Relationships between alexithymia, interoception, and emotional empathy in autism spectrum disorder.Autism : the International Journal of... Apr 2023Empathy, the ability to understand and share the emotions of others, is a necessary skill for social functioning and can be categorized into cognitive and emotional...
Empathy, the ability to understand and share the emotions of others, is a necessary skill for social functioning and can be categorized into cognitive and emotional empathy. There is evidence to suggest that individuals with autism spectrum disorder have difficulties with cognitive empathy, the ability to imagine how another person is thinking or feeling. However, it is unclear if individuals with autism spectrum disorder struggle with emotional empathy, the ability to share and feel emotions others are experiencing. Self-report and interview data were collected to explore the relationships between interoception (individuals' self-reported awareness of sensation from their body such as thirst, heartbeat, etc.), alexithymia (an individual's ability to describe and distinguish between their own emotions), and emotional empathy in 35 youth with autism spectrum disorder and 40 typically developing youth. Greater personal distress to others' emotions and greater difficulty describing and recognizing self-emotions were associated with reporting fewer physical sensations in the body when experiencing emotion in the autism spectrum disorder group. The results of this study suggest that while autism spectrum disorder youth with concomitant alexithymia may experience emotional empathy differently, it should not be characterized as an absence of a capacity for emotional empathy.
Topics: Adolescent; Humans; Empathy; Affective Symptoms; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Interoception; Emotions
PubMed: 35833505
DOI: 10.1177/13623613221111310 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jul 2022With the development of the internet, people's pursuit of reading entertainment has enriched internet novels, but the relevant influencing factors are still unclear....
With the development of the internet, people's pursuit of reading entertainment has enriched internet novels, but the relevant influencing factors are still unclear. Therefore, we recruited 344 Chinese college students and employed a questionnaire survey to explore the relationship between alexithymia, boredom proneness, and internet novel addiction. The results showed that (1) there was no significant difference between female and male college students in terms of alexithymia and boredom proneness, whereas male college students had a higher total score of internet novel addiction than females. (2) There were significant positive correlations between alexithymia, boredom proneness, and internet novel addiction. (3) Boredom proneness played a partial mediating role in the impact of alexithymia on the internet novel addiction. Taken together, alexithymia may directly and indirectly predict internet novel addiction through boredom proneness.
Topics: Affective Symptoms; Boredom; Female; Humans; Internet; Internet Addiction Disorder; Male; Students
PubMed: 35886561
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19148708 -
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) May 2023: Gender differences are poorly investigated in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD), although they could be useful in determining the most appropriate...
: Gender differences are poorly investigated in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD), although they could be useful in determining the most appropriate pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment. The aim of the present study was to compare sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and the emotional and behavioral dimensions (such as coping, alexithymia, and sensory profile) between males and females with BPD. : Two hundred seven participants were recruited. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. The Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE), and Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) were administered. : Male patients with BPD showed more involuntary hospitalizations and greater use of alcohol and illicit substances compared to females. Conversely, females with BPD reported more frequent medication abuse than males. Furthermore, females had high levels of alexithymia and hopelessness. Regarding coping strategies, females with BPD reported higher levels of "restraint coping" and "use of instrumental social support" at COPE. Finally, females with BPD had higher scores in the Sensory Sensitivity and Sensation Avoiding categories at the AASP. : Our study highlights gender differences in substance use, emotion expression, future vision, sensory perception, and coping strategies in patients with BPD. Further gender studies may clarify these differences and guide the development of specific and differential treatments in males and females with BPD.
Topics: Adult; Female; Adolescent; Humans; Male; Affective Symptoms; Borderline Personality Disorder; Emotions; Affect; Adaptation, Psychological
PubMed: 37241182
DOI: 10.3390/medicina59050950 -
Journal of Affective Disorders Jun 2022Little is known about the psychological mechanisms underlying the mental health problems related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hypothetically, perceived stress and...
BACKGROUND
Little is known about the psychological mechanisms underlying the mental health problems related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hypothetically, perceived stress and alexithymia may be factors involved in the mental distress response to the pandemic; however, this remains largely unstudied. This study aims to explore the moderating role of alexithymia and the moderated mediation effects of perceived stress on the mental health change due to the pandemic.
METHODS
The conditional process model was used to examine the moderated mediation. The sample consists of 659 parents from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study who completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) at 6 months after delivery, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) at 2 or 4 years postpartum between 2014 and 2019; and a questionnaire for pandemic events, a brief 4-item version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4) and the follow-up EPDS/SCL-90 in 2020 after 3 months from the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in Finland.
RESULTS
Alexithymia moderated the perceived stress-mediated relations between the pandemic events and the changes of depressive and anxiety symptoms through enhancing the detrimental effect of perceived stress on mental health.
LIMITATIONS
This study was mainly limited by the causality and generalizability of the findings.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings indicate the moderated mediation effects of alexithymia and perceived stress on the psychological symptoms, which has implications for understanding how and when stressful situations translate to mental health problems, identifying vulnerable individuals, and tailoring preventive and psychotherapeutic interventions.
Topics: Affective Symptoms; COVID-19; Cohort Studies; Female; Humans; Mental Health; Pandemics; Stress, Psychological
PubMed: 35304231
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.03.024 -
European Psychiatry : the Journal of... Apr 2011The primary purpose of this meta-analysis was to explore, clarify and report the strength of the relationship between alexithymia, as measured by the Toronto Alexithymia... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
AIM
The primary purpose of this meta-analysis was to explore, clarify and report the strength of the relationship between alexithymia, as measured by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and parenting style as measured by the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI).
METHODS
Web of Science, PsycInfo, PubMed and ProQuest: Dissertations and Theses searches were undertaken, yielding nine samples with sufficient data to be included in the meta-analysis.
RESULTS
Evidence indicated moderate to strong relationships between maternal care and alexithymia, and between maternal care and two of the three TAS-20 alexithymia facets (Difficulties Describing Feelings and Difficulties Identifying Feelings, but not Externally Oriented Thinking). Moderate relationships were observed for both maternal- and paternal-overprotection and alexithymia respectively, and for overprotection (both maternal and paternal) and Difficulties Describing Feelings.
CONCLUSION
This study is the first meta-analysis of the relationship between parenting styles and alexithymia, and findings confirm an especially strong association between maternal care and key elements of alexithymia. This review highlights the issues that still remain to be addressed in exploring the link between parenting style and alexithymia.
Topics: Affect; Affective Symptoms; Humans; Object Attachment; Parent-Child Relations; Parenting
PubMed: 21277748
DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpsy.2010.09.010 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jun 2021Although research provides a rich literature about the influence of emotional states on temporal cognition, evidence about the influence of the style of emotion...
Although research provides a rich literature about the influence of emotional states on temporal cognition, evidence about the influence of the style of emotion processing, as a personality trait, on temporal cognition is extremely limited. We provide a novel contribution to the field by exploring the relationship between difficulties of identifying and describing feelings and emotions (alexithymia) and time perspective. One hundred and forty-two healthy participants completed an online version of the TAS-20 scale, which measures alexithymia, and the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory, which monitors individual differences in time-orientation regarding the past, present, and future. The results show greater attention to past negative aspects in participants whose TAS-20 score was indicating borderline or manifest alexithymia, as compared to non-alexithymic individuals. Moreover, the higher the TAS-20 score, the higher the tendency was to focus on negative aspects of the past and interpret the present fatalistically. These results suggest that difficulties in identifying and describing feelings and emotions are associated with a negative bias for past and present events. Theoretical and clinical implications of this finding are discussed.
Topics: Affective Symptoms; Bias; Cognition; Emotions; Humans
PubMed: 34206284
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18136696 -
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 2000
Topics: Affective Symptoms; Crime; Emotions; Ethics; Humans; Politics
PubMed: 10877675
DOI: 10.1159/000012377 -
International Journal of Environmental... Dec 2021The diffusion of the internet and technological progress have made gambling on online platforms possible, also making it more anonymous, convenient, and available,...
The diffusion of the internet and technological progress have made gambling on online platforms possible, also making it more anonymous, convenient, and available, increasing the risk of pathological outcomes for vulnerable individuals. Given this context, the present study explores the role of some protective and risk factors for problematic gambling in online gamblers by focusing on the interaction between alexithymia, dissociation, and family functioning. A sample of 193 online gamblers (M = 28.8 years, SD = 10.59; 17% females, 83% males) completed the South Oaks Gambling Screen, Twenty-Items Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Dissociative Experience Scale-II, and Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales-IV through an online survey. MANOVA, ANOVA and moderated mediation analyses were carried out to analyse the data. Significant differences in cohesive family functioning, alexithymia and dissociation have been found between online gamblers with problematic, at-risk or absent levels of gambling disease. Furthermore, the results showed a significant and positive association between alexithymia and problematic online gambling, partially mediated by dissociation, with the moderation of cohesive family functioning. Such data may have relevant clinical implications, highlighting the interaction of some core personal and environmental variables that may be involved in the etiology of online pathological gambling and could be kept in mind to tailor preventive interventions.
Topics: Adult; Affective Symptoms; Behavior, Addictive; Dissociative Disorders; Female; Gambling; Humans; Internet; Male; Risk Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 34948900
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182413291 -
Emotion (Washington, D.C.) Feb 2021Humans compute the anticipated reward value of stimuli in their environment in order to behave in an adaptive, goal-directed manner. This reward valuation ability is...
Humans compute the anticipated reward value of stimuli in their environment in order to behave in an adaptive, goal-directed manner. This reward valuation ability is vital, and its disruption in a range of clinical populations has profound personal and social consequences. However, research has often failed to consider the reward-related functions of a central component of human emotion: conscious emotional experience. Alexithymia-a condition characterized by diminished conscious awareness of one's emotions-offers a unique opportunity to examine the link between emotional awareness and reward valuation. In the present study, we measured both acquired alexithymia and reward valuation ability in a large sample of patients with traumatic brain injuries ( = 112). Behavioral analyses provided evidence for a negative association between alexithymia and reward valuation ability. This association remained significant after controlling for several covariates in the model (anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and IQ). Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping was carried out to identify brain regions-of-interest (ROIs) that, when damaged, lead to increased alexithymia and impaired reward valuation. Importantly, mediation models computed using the ROIs identified through the voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping revealed a specific indirect effect of left frontoinsular damage on impaired valuation that was mediated by increased levels of alexithymia. This indirect effect was not observed for any of the other candidate ROIs. The present study identifies a network of brain regions likely to be involved in the integration of subjective feelings and reward processes critical for the adaptive control of goal-directed behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Topics: Affective Symptoms; Brain; Brain Mapping; Emotions; Female; Frontal Lobe; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Reward
PubMed: 31535883
DOI: 10.1037/emo0000676 -
Drug and Alcohol Dependence Jul 2022Adolescent electronic cigarette use (e-cigarette) is a public health concern and factors associated with vaping remain to be understood. Childhood emotional...
BACKGROUND
Adolescent electronic cigarette use (e-cigarette) is a public health concern and factors associated with vaping remain to be understood. Childhood emotional abuse/neglect is a risk factor for e-cigarettes. Yet, pathways by which trauma impacts use remain unclear. Alexithymia (i.e., difficulties identifying and describing feelings) is one possible link. Indeed, emotional abuse/neglect leads to difficulties identifying and verbalizing emotions. This impairment may lead to distress and promote e-cigarette use as a coping strategy.
METHODS
Using parallel mediation, this study examined the degree to which alexithymia, assessed using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, mediates the link between emotional abuse/neglect, assessed using the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen, and e-cigarette use. The sample (n = 166) consisted of adolescents from a larger multi-wave study.
RESULTS
Emotional abuse/neglect predicted difficulty describing feelings (effect = 0.23, p = 0.001), which in turn predicted e-cigarette use (effect = 0.30, p = 0.004). Moreover, difficulty describing feelings mediated the link between emotional abuse/neglect and e-cigarette use (sum of indirect 95% CI [1.68, 16.48]). Difficulty identifying feelings was not a significant mediator and the externally-oriented thinking subscale was excluded due to low reliability.
CONCLUSIONS
As e-cigarettes are often used in social contexts, teens who experience difficulty describing feelings may vape as a means of connecting emotionally with others. Moreover, nicotine, found in most e-cigarettes, releases dopamine and noradrenaline in the brain modulating action, learning, and memory processes; plausibly, improving verbalization of emotions. Programming which identifies nuances in alexithymia among adolescents with emotional abuse/neglect could mitigate e-cigarette use or delay initiation.
Topics: Adolescent; Adverse Childhood Experiences; Affective Symptoms; Child; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; Emotions; Humans; Reproducibility of Results; Vaping
PubMed: 35623159
DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109500