Alexithymic Characteristics Research Articles

An Investigation of Hostile and Alexithymic Characteristics in Breast Cancer Patients

Two measures of personality characteristics, the Personality Deviance Scale and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, were administered to a total sample of 448 women and a subsample of 100 women, respectively, attending two breast-screening centers in Athens. The relative risk of breast cancer between women with low denigratory attitudes towards others and women with high scores in this scale was 2.31. Statistically significant relations were not noted between the mean scores of alexithymia factors and breast cancer diagnosis. Our findings point to the conclusion that breast cancer patients can be distinguished from healthy women on the basis of their cognitive activity, characterized by rare denigratory thoughts.

Validity and reliability of the Toronto Alexithymia scale (TAS) in a population study

Alexithymia refers to the difficulties an individual has to experience and express his feelings. Various self-report questionnaires have been introduced to measure alexithymia, but only a few rigorous validity studies of this concept have been carried out in nonclinical populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) in a population sample of 1560 middle-aged men from eastern Finland. The modified version of the TAS applied in this study had a factor structure that matched the previous results and the theoretical concept of alexithymia. Internal consistency of the total TAS scale, as well as the 8 month retest reliability, were adequate. The TAS correlated fairly well with an interview-based evaluation of alexithymic features. The results suggest that the TAS could be a useful screening instrument for alexithymic features in a population study, but the scale would probably need some revisions.

Alexithymia and obesity. Study of the impaired symbolic function by the Rorschach test.

Many authors consider alexithymia a predisposing factor to psychosomatic and somatopsychic pathologies. In this study we investigated the presence of alexithymic characteristics in a group of 106 massive obese patients who requested a surgical intervention. 6 Rorschach alexithymia variables in the protocols of patients and a non-patient reference group (n = 600) were studied. Findings supported the presence of a striking alexithymic element among severely obese patients in comparison with their lean counterparts.

Relationship between conjugate lateral eye movements and alexithymia.

The relationship between conjugate lateral eye movements (CLEMs) and alexithymia was investigated in a group of 60 (23 male and 37 female) right-handed university students. Subjects completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), the Schalling-Sifneos Personality Scale, and the Basic Personality Inventory, which measures 12 basic dimensions of personality and psychopathology, CLEMs were recorded while subjects were asked 20 general knowledge questions that have no tendency to elicit eye movements predominantly in one direction. A series of gender by CLEM preference (left vs. right mover) ANOVAs were conducted with the various measures. There was a significant relationship between right CLEM preference and higher scores on the TAS, but no relationships between CLEMs and any of the other measures. These results suggest that alexithymia is associated with left cerebral lateralization, and support the hypothesis that alexithymic characteristics reflect a variation in brain organization.

Alexithymic Characteristics and Metabolic Control in Diabetic and Healthy Adults

Diabetes has long been identified as a disease with possible psychological components. Alexithymia--an inability to express emotions verbally, operational thinking, and a lack of fantasy life--is found in a high proportion of psychosomatic patients. We therefore tested the hypothesis that diabetics would be more alexithymic than controls. In addition, the lack of awareness of affect was hypothesized to have negative consequences for the management of diabetes, as reflected in metabolic glucose control (HbA1). The number of emotion words produced in six imaginative (Thematic Apperception Test) stories was used as the measure of alexithymia, with few words reflecting alexithymic characteristics. Diabetics were found to be significantly more alexithymic than controls. Further, fewer emotion words (alexithymia) was associated with poorer metabolic control. These data suggest that alexithymic characteristics may interfere with a diabetic's ability to manage their illness, and support previous research showing that the suppression of emotions can lead to a difficulty in regulating glucose levels.

Psychodynamic, Time-Limited Group Therapy in Rheumatic Disease – a Controlled Study with Special Reference to Alexithymia

Forty-six female patients with rheumatoid arthritis or primary Sjögren's syndrome participated in a prospective, controlled study of psychodynamic, time-limited group therapy. The paper concentrates on the qualitative outcome evaluated according to the patients' perceptions of what was appreciated as being most helpful in the group. Yalom's 'curative factors Q-sort' served as parameter of effect. Special attention will be given to the prevalence of alexithymia in rheumatic patients, and to the possibilities of ameliorating alexithymic features through group therapy.

Alexithymia and stimulus augmenting/reducing

Alexithymia is thought to be a trait that predisposes individuals to psychosomatic and drug abuse disorders. It was hypothesized that alexithymic characteristics would lead an individual to augment stimuli in order to prevent ignoring stimuli that might be dangerous. Subjects (N = 175) were administered alexithymia and augmenting-reducing questionnaires. These concepts were related as expected for male, but not female, subjects. In addition, it was found that alexithymic characteristics in general, rather than a specific difficulty in discriminating physical and emotional stimuli, contributed to this relationship.

Functional insomnia in relation to alexithymic features and cortisol hypersecretion in a community sample

AbstractThe occurrence of alexithymic features (inability to verbalize emotions) and cortisol hypersecretion was investigated in 257 subjects drawn from a Finnish adult community sample. Seventy‐five were considered to have poor sleep, 154 were good sleepers and 28 intermediate sleepers. The quality of sleep was investigated with the help of a self‐report‐based questionnaire, and alexithymic features were assessed during a psychiatric interview. Cortisol hypersecretion was measured by the dexamethasone suppression test (DST). Alexithymic features were clearly related to self‐reported insomnia and especially to long sleep latency (SL). Age and sex covaried with the relation between alexithymic features and quality of sleep. However, independent of age and sex, subjects with alexithymic features reported significantly more insomnia, difficulty in maintaining sleep (DMS) and parasomnias than non‐alexithymics. Though the occurrence of DST non‐suppressors did not differ in the good and the poor sleepers, the post‐dexamethasone cortisol level positively associated with alexithymic features. The data support but do not definitely prove the arousal theory of functional (psychophysiological) insomnia, ie a tendency of internalize psychic conflicts and an inability to verbalize them may lead to increased arousal and subsequent insomnia.

Alexithymic features in relation to the dexamethasone suppression test in a Finnish population sample

Hypothesizing that a positive DST result could reflect an aberrant stress reaction in subjects with alexithymic features, the authors investigated the relationship between alexithymic features and DST results in 266 subjects from a Finnish adult population sample. Alexithymic features were assessed with the Beth Israel Questionnaire. The authors found a statistically significant association between observed alexithymic features and a positive DST result. This association could be seen after adjustment separately for age, social rank, marital status, and the occurrence of depression.

Alexithymia, Masked Depression and Loss in a Holocaust Survivor

A woman who suffered multiple losses in childhood and adolescence became depressed 40 years later, after a series of new losses. Concomitant alexithymic features caused a masking of her depression by somatic symptoms. The relationships between alexithymia, masked depression and loss are discussed.

Alexithymic characteristics in rheumatoid arthritis: a controlled study.

Forty rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients diagnosed by rigid criteria were evaluated for alexithymic characteristics using the Beth Israel Hospital Psychosomatic Questionnaire (BIQ) and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS). 40 healthy subjects matched with RA patients on sociodemographic variables served as controls. RA patients scored significantly higher on the BIQ and TAS compared to controls. The two scales correlated in the expected direction. Using the TAS cutoff score of 74 and above, 11 RA patients (27.5%) were identified as alexithymic. RA patients with greater functional impairment showed significantly higher alexithymia scores.

Alexithymia: relationship to severity of medical illness and depression.

The relationship of depression and the severity of medical illness to alexithymia was investigated in 75 medically ill patients seen in psychiatric consultation. Both depression and living alone predicted alexithymia but severity of medical illness was not related to an individual's alexithymic characteristics measured by the revised Schalling-Sifneos Scale. The implications of the findings are discussed in relationship to previous data regarding alexithymia in a psychiatric consultation population.

Distribution of alexithymic characteristics within an adult outpatient population.

Utilizing the MMPI Alexithymia Scale (MMPI-AS), a retrospective study was undertaken to determine the distribution of alexithymia within an outpatient population. Approximately 7.64% of the outpatient population displayed the alexithymic trait. Analysis of alexithymia by sex revealed that 10.61% of males and 5.13% of females evidenced alexithymia. This does not correspond with other studies on the distribution of alexithymia within other nonpsychosomatic populations. Issues regarding the measurement instrument, distribution of alexithymia, as well as areas for further investigation are addressed.

Depression, alexithymia, and pain prone disorder: a Rorschach study.

The relationship between depression and chronic low back pain (LBP) is controversial. Theorists differ in the emphasis they place on predisposing versus reactive factors in LBP disability and depression. Alexithymia has been suggested as a predisposing factor in psychosomatic disorders, including chronic LBP. This study addresses the association between depression, alexithymia, and LBP using the Rorschach comprehensive system. LBP patients were hypothesized to be distinguishable from Research Diagnostic Criteria-diagnosed inpatient depressives, to exhibit features of alexithymia, and to resemble a group of DSM-III personality disorders. Subjects were 33 chronic LBP patients. Results supported the hypotheses. On depression measures, LBP patients differed significantly from depressives (p less than .001). LBP patients exhibited Rorschach features consistent with alexithymia. They also exhibited a number of similarities to the personality disorders group. The role of alexithymia as a cognitive-mediating factor in coping and adaptation is discussed.

Alexithymic characteristics in patients with psychogenic pain disorder: A controlled study

Alexithymic characteristics in patients with psychogenic pain disorder: A controlled study

Controlled study of alexithymic characteristics in patients with psychogenic pain disorder.

Alexithymic characteristics were examined in a sample of 30 patients fulfilling the DSM-III criteria for psychogenic pain disorder using an interviewer-rated scale (Beth Israel Hospital Psychosomatic Questionnaire), a self-rated scale (Toronto Alexithymia Scale) and a projective technique (Thematic Apperception Test). The findings were compared with a control group of healthy subjects matched on sociodemographic variables. Pain patients were found to be more alexithymic in contrast to the control group as evidenced by the interviewer-rated and self-rated scales. The correlations among the three measures were in the expected direction.

Personality traits that can affect adaptation after colectomy. A study of 10 patients treated for ulcerative colitis either with proctocolectomy and ileostomy or with colectomy, proctomucosectomy, ileal pouch and ileoanal anastomosis.

The purpose of the present study was to examine how specific personality traits and/or conflicts could serve to predict nonadaptability after surgical treatment for ulcerative colitis. In order to define the scope of the study and to establish more specific hypotheses, retrospective studies were conducted by in depth interviews with 10 patients. Five of the patients had undergone colectomy with proctomucosectomy and ileal pouch ad modum Parks, and 5 had had a proctocolectomy with ileostomy ad modum Brooke. The interviews were recorded on tape and analyzed by the interviewer as well as by an independent evaluator. In addition, the operating surgeon provided an independent evaluation of the patients' post-operative adaptation. There was good consensus between both sets of assessments based on interviews as well as between the interview diagnoses and the surgeon's evaluation. There was no observed correlation between prevailing psychiatric diagnostic categories and postoperative adaptation. Psychological factors, such as a discrepancy between body image and body ideal, alexithymic characteristics, abnormal aggression patterns, extensive physical exercise and muscular training, showed varying degrees of negative correlation with postoperative adaptation.

Psychological meaning of illness and coping with disease.

Personality configuration determining the patient's psychosocial reaction to illness was studied in 65 patients with intermittent claudication. The patients were interviewed and psychologically tested using the Rorschach test, Beck's depression inventory and Sauri's creativity inventory. The results showed four different psychosocial reactions to illness each combined with a specific personality constellation and resulting in different levels of cooperation in the treatment. The highest level of cooperation was achieved by patients who experienced disease as a loss and who felt rational sorrow over lost health. This was combined with a high level of psychic integrity. Those who experienced disease as a threat offered passive cooperation and displayed alexithymic features. Most inconsistent were patients who regarded disease as a challenge, making maladaptive attempts to master a disease-related threat. Disease experienced as a gain was an indication of psychic pathology and those patients refused totally to cooperate in the treatment.

Influence of Alexithymic Characteristics on Physiological and Subjective Stress Responses in Normal Individuals

Individual differences in response to stress have been linked to the development of stress-related disorders through the presence of a dissociation between physiological and subjective stress responses. It has been suggested that the presence of alexithymic characteristics may constitute a new source of individual response differences and thereby contribute to the development of a stress-related disorder. However, it is also possible that the presence of alexithymic characteristics is simply a new name for a preexisting construct. The present study examined subjective and physiological stress response patterns in normal individuals with high or low presence of alexithymic characteristics, and the relationship between alexithymia and potentially equivalent constructs. The results revealed that the presence of alexithymic characteristics is independent of repression, trait anxiety, and social desirability. As well, high alexithymics appear to manifest high levels of sympathetic activity, and a dissociation between subjective and physiological stress responses. These results are discussed in terms of the potential contribution of alexithymic characteristics to the development of stress-related disorders.

Prediction of alexithymic characteristics from physiological, personality, and subjective measures.

Noting concerns for a comprehensive conceptualization of alexithymic characteristics, the present study examines the potential utility of considering these characteristics as manifestations of deficits in cognitive schemata. Research guided by this conceptualization has identified physiological, subjective, and personality features of alexithymic characteristics. It is reasoned that if this conceptualization has merit, it should be possible to predict the presence of alexithymic characteristics from these features. Results of the present study indicate that a combination of physiological, subjective, and personality variables significantly predicts the presence of alexithymic characteristics as measured by the Schalling-Sifneos Personality Scale. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for a more comprehensive description of alexithymia and the value of the cognitive schema conceptualization.