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Related Experiment Videos

Do alexithymic traits predict illness?

R P Greenberg, P J Dattore

    The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
    |May 1, 1983
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    This study found no evidence that alexithymic personality traits predict the onset of physical or psychosomatic illness. Alexithymia may, however, be a consequence of disease or affect treatment outcomes.

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    Area of Science:

    • Psychiatry
    • Psychosomatic Medicine
    • Personality Psychology

    Background:

    • Alexithymia, characterized by difficulty identifying and expressing emotions, is theorized to contribute to psychosomatic disorders.
    • Previous research has not conclusively established a causal link between alexithymia and illness onset.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate whether premorbid alexithymic characteristics predict the development of physical illness, psychosomatic disease, or psychiatric disorders.
    • To examine the relationship between alexithymia and illness onset prospectively.

    Main Methods:

    • A sample of 181 men had their alexithymic characteristics assessed using the MMPI alexithymia scale at least one year prior to illness onset.
    • Premorbid scores were compared between men who remained healthy and those who developed cancer, benign tumors, hypertension, gastrointestinal ulcers, or schizophrenia within 10 years.

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    Main Results:

    • No significant differences in premorbid alexithymia scores were found among groups who developed different types of illnesses or remained healthy.
    • The prevalence of individuals classified as alexithymic did not differ significantly across the illness and healthy groups.

    Conclusions:

    • The findings do not support the hypothesis that alexithymia is a causal factor in the onset of psychosomatic or other illnesses.
    • Alexithymia may potentially arise as a consequence of chronic disease or influence treatment response and disease progression.