The COVID-19 pandemic had negative consequences for mental health, yet it is unknown how and to what extent the psychological outcomes of this stressful event are moderated by individual traits. Alexithymia is a risk factor for psychopathology, and thus likely predicted individual differences in resilience or vulnerability to stressful events during the pandemic. This study explored the moderating role of alexithymia in the relationships of pandemic-related stress with anxiety levels and attentional bias. The participants were 103 Taiwanese individuals who completed a survey during the outbreak of the Omicron wave. Additionally, an emotional Stroop task including pandemic-related or neutral stimuli was used to measure attentional bias. Our results demonstrate that pandemic-related stress had a lesser impact on anxiety in individuals with a higher level of alexithymia. Moreover, we found that in individuals with higher exposure to pandemic-related stressors, a higher level of alexithymia indicated less attentional bias toward COVID-19-related information. Thus, it is plausible that individuals with alexithymia tended to avoid pandemic-related information, which could temporarily relieve stressors during the pandemic.

COVID-19 has introduced negative consequences for mental health. It is unknown whether the psychological outcomes of stressful events may be moderated by individual traits. Alexithymia was considered as a risk factor for psychopathology, and was thus likely to be the potential trait that determined individual differences in resilience or vulnerability to stressful events during the pandemic. This study explored the moderating role of alexithymia and the effect of pandemic-related stress on anxiety levels and attentional bias due to the pandemic. Participants were 103 Taiwanese individuals that completed a survey during the outbreak of the Omicron wave. Additionally, an emotional Stroop task preceded by pandemic-related or neutral pictures was used to measure attentional bias. Our results demonstrated that pandemic-related stress had a lesser impact on anxiety for individuals with a higher level of alexithymia. Moreover, we found that for individuals with higher exposure to pandemic-related stressors, a higher level of alexithymia indicated less attentional bias toward COVID-19-related information. It was plausible that alexithymics tended to avoid coping with pandemic-related information, which could temporarily relieve from stressors during the pandemic.

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Alexithymia is a multi-faceted personality trait defined by difficulties in identifying and describing emotions and is considered a risk factor for multiple psychiatric disorders. Current alexithymia research debates the type of attention bias involved in the processing of negative emotional information, especially in anxiety-evoking situations that are frequently associated with stress states. Relatedly, this study aims to examine the role of emotional influence on the attentional processing of Taiwanese alexithymic individuals. Using the Chinese version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), individuals with high alexithymia (HA: TAS > 60, n = 26; Mage = 23.36) and individuals with low alexithymia (LA: TAS < 39, n = 26; Mage = 25.76) were recruited. Participants performed an emotional counting Stroop task preceded by anxiety-evoking (threatening and aversive pictures) or neutral pictures. Reaction times (RTs) of the emotional Stroop task were compared between HA and LA groups. Our results demonstrate that compared to individuals with LA, individuals with HA show early avoidance tendency (i.e., allocate less attentional resources to anxiety-evoking stimuli), and that negative affect therefore does not interfere with subsequent attention processing during the Stroop task, resulting in faster RT for unpleasant stimuli ( Mthreatening = 683.87, Maversive = 685.87) than neutral stimuli ( Mneutral = 695.64) ( ps < .05). In addition, the attentional bias toward specific types of negative emotion was not differentiated in individuals with HA ( p < .05), suggesting that alexithymic individuals’ emotion schemas may be underdeveloped in terms of ability to specify exact emotions. This study provides evidence regarding early sensitization to negative stimuli during information processing, consistent with the notion that alexithymia is related to avoidant emotion regulation processes.