Abstract
<h3>Research Objectives</h3> Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is commonly associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as alexithymia and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the relation between these conditions is not well understood. Alexithymia, a dysfunction of affective and cognitive emotional processing, have been associated with TBI and PTSD. We examined the interaction of alexithymia factors and PTSD dimensions in Veterans with TBI. <h3>Design</h3> Cross-sectional. <h3>Setting</h3> Outpatient research unit. <h3>Participants</h3> Sixty veterans with mild TBI (medical records and clinical evaluation) and chronic cognitive (neuropsychological evaluation) and neuropsychiatric symptoms (clinical interview). <h3>Interventions</h3> Not applicable. <h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3> All participants were administered a series of standardized neuropsychiatric measures, including Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), PTSD Checklist (PCL-M), and standardized neuropsychological and functional status measures. <h3>Results</h3> Alexithymia levels were strongly associated with TBI and PTSD severity. PTSD severity was strongly related to alexithymia Factor 1 (difficulty describing feelings, p < .001) and Factor 2 (difficulty identifying feelings, p < .001), but not Factor 3. Alexithymia and PTSD severity were strongly related to cognitive (executive) dysfunction. However, further analyses demonstrated that alexithymia level was the strongest predictor of executive dysfunction. <h3>Conclusions</h3> These findings highlight the prevalence of alexithymia in veterans with TBI. Our results suggest that increased alexithymia level is associated with more severe levels of PTSD in TBI. In this study more severe alexithymia was also associated with cognitive dysfunction. These results underscore the importance of identification and treatment of alexithymia, as it may improve the quality of life and reduce disability in individuals with TBI. <h3>Author(s) Disclosures</h3> No disclosures
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