Alexithymie et victimation chronique au sein du couple

Abstract

ObjectiveChronicity of victimization phenomena within the couple may be associated with risky behavior, the risk of being injured or killed. Engagement in types of behavior is maintained in part by emotional factors, the inability to deal with subjective states would lead to risk-taking. The aim of this study is to support the existence of emotional vulnerability such as alexithymia and negative emotional awareness in the chronic process of domestic violence. It was hypothesized that the victims’ restriction in the expression of their emotions lead to the implementation of avoidance and psychic adjustment when confronted to domestic violence. The presence of alexithymia associated with a low level of emotional awareness allows violence to continue and suffering to express itself by somatic symptoms. Patients and methodsThe sample consisted of 80 women (age=34.5±12.18 years) who were divided into two groups: victims of domestic violence (n=40) and non-victims (n=40). The sample completed self-report measures of emotional dimensions and somatic symptoms. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) was used to assess the level of alexithymia. In addition, this 20-items scale is composed of three specific subscales that allowed the measurement of the Difficulty in Identifying Emotions (DIE), the difficulty in Differentiating Emotions (DDE) and the Externally Oriented Thinking (EOT). The emotional awareness was assessed by the Level of Emotional Awareness (LEAS). This scale poses evocative interpersonal situations and elicits description of the emotional responses of self and others, which are scored. Finally, the subscale of the SCL90-R was used to assess the somatic symptoms. All these internationally validated scales were chosen because of their good psychometric qualities. Statistical analysisWe performed descriptive analysis, correlational analysis and hierarchical regression using SPSS.22 software. ResultsResults suggested that victims demonstrate a bigger difficulty at differentiating emotions (M=14.95±5.17; P<0.05) as well as a lower level of emotional awareness (M=48.45±7.82; P<0.0001) than non-victims (mean difficulty differentiating emotions=12.12±4.65; mean level of emotional awareness=56.37±11.70). The regression analysis reveals the existence of several significant connections in the victim's group. A strong and negative correlation has been shown between the level of emotional awareness and alexithymia (r>50; R2=26.5; P<0.0001). Moreover, a moderate and negative correlation was proven between the level of emotional awareness and three emotional components of alexithymia which are the difficulty at identifying feeling, the difficulty at differentiation emotions and the externally oriented thinking (r>30; P<0.05). Finally, this study suggested a moderate and positive correlation between somatic symptoms and alexithymia (r>30; R2=8.5; P<0.05) on one hand, and between somatic symptoms and the externally oriented thinking dimension of alexithymia (r>30; R2=10.6; P<0.05). The research has not found any significant results for the non-victim group of participants. ConclusionsThe difficulty at differentiating emotions, resulting from a lower level of emotional awareness, was shown to be a protective strategy against internal and external attacks. This adjustment would be permeable unconscious emotional discharges that would comprise the emotion regulation process and therefore, would allow the violence to continue. The question of chronicity in the victimation process as well as all the results of this study lead us to question the position of the victims of domestic violence in front of risk-taking behaviors. The risk confrontation in domestic violence could lead to secondary alexithymia, which in such situation could be qualified as an adaptive adjustment. The lack of emotional differentiation allows a better management of the situation where the risk is controlled.