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"No Words for Feelings": Alexithymia in Children With Cystic Fibrosis and Their Caregivers

Tuğba Şişmanlar Eyüboğlu1, Ayşe Tana Aslan1, Zeynep İlkşen Hocoğlu1

  • 1Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkiye.

Pediatric Pulmonology
|February 27, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Alexithymia, difficulty identifying emotions, is common in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) and their mothers. This impacts children's sleep quality and maternal depression, highlighting the need for psychological screening in CF care.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Pediatrics
  • Medical Research

Background:

  • Children with cystic fibrosis (CF) experience significant physical and psychological challenges.
  • Alexithymia, difficulty in identifying and expressing emotions, is linked to psychological distress in chronic illnesses.
  • The prevalence and impact of alexithymia in pediatric CF patients and their caregivers are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence of alexithymia in children with CF and their mothers.
  • To examine the association between alexithymia, sleep disorders in children, and depression in mothers.
  • To explore correlations between alexithymia and clinical parameters in pediatric CF.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 36 children (aged 9-18) with CF and their mothers.
  • Emotional regulation assessed using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20).
  • Sleep quality evaluated by the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC); maternal depression by the Beck Depression Scale (BDS).

Main Results:

  • Alexithymia was prevalent in 58.3% of children and 55.6% of mothers.
  • Higher TAS-20 scores in children correlated with poorer SDSC scores (r=0.55, p<0.001), indicating sleep disturbances.
  • Maternal TAS-20 scores strongly correlated with BDS scores (r=0.61, p<0.001), indicating maternal depression.

Conclusions:

  • Alexithymia is common in children with CF and their mothers, contributing to sleep problems and maternal depression.
  • Routine psychological screening for emotional regulation difficulties in CF patients and caregivers is recommended.
  • Addressing alexithymia may improve emotional and clinical outcomes in CF care.
Abstract

Keywords:
alexithymiacystic fibrosismothers

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