Alexithymia and posttraumatic stress disorder following asthma attack

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Respiratory Medicine

Background:

• Asthma attacks can be traumatic events.
• Psychological distress, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is a concern for individuals with chronic illnesses.
• Alexithymia, characterized by difficulty identifying and expressing emotions, may influence psychological outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine post-asthma attack PTSD and psychiatric co-morbidity in college students.
• To investigate the association between PTSD, psychiatric co-morbidity, and alexithymia.
• To explore the mediating role of asthma symptoms in the relationship between alexithymia and psychiatric co-morbidity.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional online survey was administered to 106 college students with asthma.
• Participants completed validated questionnaires: Asthma Symptom Checklist, PTSD Checklist, General Health Questionnaire-28, and Toronto Alexithymia Scale.
• A control group of 91 students without asthma or major illness was included for comparison.

Main Results:

• 2% of the asthma group met full PTSD criteria; 42% met partial criteria.
• The asthma group reported significantly more somatic problems, social dysfunction, and depression compared to controls.
• The asthma group was five times more likely to have an elevated risk of general psychiatric disorders.
• Difficulty identifying feelings, a component of alexithymia, predicted psychiatric co-morbidity, but not PTSD, after adjusting for covariates.
• Asthma symptoms partially mediated the relationship between difficulty identifying feelings and psychiatric co-morbidity.

Conclusions:

• College students experiencing asthma attacks are at risk for developing PTSD symptoms and psychiatric co-morbidity.
• Alexithymia, particularly difficulty identifying feelings, is associated with general psychological difficulties in this population, independent of PTSD.
• Asthma symptoms play a partial mediating role in the link between emotional processing difficulties and psychiatric co-morbidity, highlighting the complex interplay between physical and mental health.