[Comparative study of the relationship between alexithymia and affective dependence on 60 alcoholics and 57 control...

Several authors have shown that alexithymia characterizes patients suffering from substance abuses. Moreover emotional and perceptual dependencies have also been described in these disorders. The aim of this study is to test two hypotheses: First that the emotional components of alexithymia and dependency were linked in alcoholics and secondly that the cognitive components of these two dimensions were also linked in these subjects. Two groups were recruited: 60 inpatients filled out the DSM IV criteria for alcohol dependence and 57 healthy subjects were the controls. All the subjects completed the following rating scales: the twenty items Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Interpersonal Dependency Inventory (IDI), the Beck Depression Inventory, the Embedded Figures Test (EFT). Partial correlations (r Bravais Pearson), using BDI score as constant, were calculated. In normals the Feelings subscale of the TAS-20 correlated with the Lack of social self confidence subscale of the IDI (r = 0.43, p < 0.0018) and in alcoholics the Cognitive factor of the TAS-20 correlated with the Lack of social self confidence subscale (r = 0.41, p < 0.0018). Moreover in alcoholics, the cognitive factor of the TAS-20 correlated significantly with the EFT score (r = -0.35, p < 0.003).

In alcoholics the cognitive component of alexithymia and the perceptual component of dependency were linked, independently of an associated depression. A particular cognitive style characterized by externality and field dependence could characterized dependent alcoholics.