A longitudinal study of alexithymia and psychological distress in inflammatory bowel disease

Porcelli, Piero; Leoci, Claudio; Guerra, Vito S.; Taylor, Graeme J.; Bagby, R. Michael

doi:10.1016/s0022-3999(96)00221-8

Cited by 99 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Both constructs, however, were unrelated to the duration of illness and the level of disease activity. Previous studies with IBD patients similarly found alexithymia to be unrelated to the duration of illness and the level of disease activity [28, 29]. But even if alexithymia is a secondary phenomenon in some medically ill patients, the finding in the present study that alexithymia is associated with a lower quality of life fails to support Freyberger’s [21] view that this construct reflects an adaptive coping response in IBD patients.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 78%

Relationships between Alexithymia, Emotional Control, and Quality of Life in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Veríssimo¹,

Mota-Cardoso²,

Taylor

1998

Psychother Psychosom

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Background: Although the constructs of alexithymia and emotional control have been associated with physical health, the relationship between these constructs is unclear and their influence on health-related quality of life has not been investigated previously. This study examined the relationships between alexithymia, emotional control, and quality of life in 74 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods: The subjects completed the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Emotional Expression and Control Scale (EEC), and the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) for assessing quality of life. Results: The TAS-20 correlated negatively and significantly with the IBDQ global score and with subscales assessing bowel symptoms, systemic symptoms, and emotional functioning; the emotional control subscale of the EEC correlated positively and significantly with these measures. Although the TAS-20 correlated significantly and negatively with the emotional control subscale, alexithymia and quality of life scores were unrelated to subscales of the EEC assessing tendencies to either hold back or express emotions. A hierarchical stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that alexithymia and, to a lesser extent, emotional control play a role in predicting quality of life in patients with IBD. Conclusions: Alexithymia and emotional control are negatively related constructs and each construct has an independent influence on the subjective health status of patients with IBD.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 78%

Relationships between Alexithymia, Emotional Control, and Quality of Life in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Veríssimo¹,

Mota-Cardoso²,

Taylor

1998

Psychother Psychosom

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“…This finding is consistent with a study of patients with alcohol dependence who showed a significant decrease in depression scores after successful treatment, whereas there was no concomitant decrease in their alexithymia scores (Haviland et al, 1988). Similar results were obtained by Porcelli et al (1996) in a longitudinal study of a group of 104 medical outpatients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease. Whereas their anxiety and depression scores were influenced over time by changes in the degree of activity of their disease, there was no significant change in their mean alexithymia scores.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…However, there are also reports that have not observed any changes in the levels of alexithymia in response to variations in emotional or somatic distress levels (Cohen, Auld, & Brooker, 1994;Haviland, Shaw, Cummings, & MacMurray, 1988;Martínez-Sánchez, Ato, Córcoles, Huedo, & Selva, 1998;Porcelli, Leoci, Guerra, Taylor, & Bagby, 1996;Salminen, Saarijärvi, Äärelä, & Tamminen. 1994;Schmidt, Jiwany, & Treasure, 1993).…”

mentioning

confidence: 96%

Alexithymia — State or Trait?

2003

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Alexithymia refers to a specific disturbance in emotional processing that is manifested by difficulties in identifying and verbalizing feelings and a tendency to focus on and amplify the somatic sensations that accompany emotional arousal. Alexithymia is conceptualized both as an affect-deficit disorder and a continuous personality variable. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the stability levels of alexithymia with regard to changes in emotional distress levels caused by university exams. We tested 20 university students at four different times, before and after the exams. Alexithymic features and self-reported emotional distress (trait anxiety and physical symptoms) were measured. Whereas emotional distress measures changed significantly during the diverse phases, the level of alexithymia remained unchanged. We therefore conclude that alexithymia represents a constant trait. Keywords: emotion, alexithymia, stress, anxiety La alexitimia describe un trastorno en el procesamiento emocional, manifestado mediante una marcada dificultad para identificar y expresar afectos, así como una tendencia a amplificar las sensaciones somáticas ligadas a la activación emocional. La alexitimia es conceptualizada tanto como un trastorno en la regulación afectiva, como una variable de personalidad. El principal objetivo de este trabajo es investigar la estabilidad temporal de los niveles de alexitimia en relación a los cambios experimentados en el malestar emocional causado por los exámenes universitarios. Evaluamos 20 universitarios en cuatro ocasiones diferentes, antes y después de los exámenes. Se evaluaron los niveles de alexitimia y de malestar emocional (ansiedad y sintomatología somática). Los resultados mostraron que mientras que las medidas de malestar emocional cambiaron significativamente durante las diversas fases, el grado de alexitimia permaneció inalterable. Se concluye afirmando que la alexitimia constituye un rasgo estable de personalidad.

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“…Changes in disease activity seemed to lead to changes in anxiety and depression. Beck Depression Inventory scores at baseline predicted the number and timing of relapses during an 18-mo follow-up period [26,27] . Nevertheless, the origin of depression and anxiety in patients with IBD remains at least insufficiently explained.…”

Section: Psychological Symptoms In Ibdmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychiatric comorbidity in the treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Filipović¹,

Filipović²

2014

WJG

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Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, commonly known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), draw attention from specialists of various disorders, including gastroenterology, psychiatry, and radiology. The involvement of a cortical influence in the brain-gut axis as well as the interaction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the peripheral nervous system provide an initial explanation of the psychological symptoms associated with IBD. The involvement of structures the limbic system, such as the anterior cingulate cortex, the prefrontal cortex, and the amygdala, paves the way for the discovery of the mechanisms underlying depression depression, anxiety, alexithymia, personality traits, and other psychological impairments following the onset of IBD. Psychiatric therapy in IBD patients is almost as important as the gastroenterological approach and consists of pharmacological treatment and psychotherapy. Neither of the available psychiatric treatment methods is considered the golden standard because both methods have side effects, and psychotropic medication can provoke the worsening of IBD symptoms. Thus, both approaches must be applied with awareness of the possibility of side effects. We suggest that psychiatrists and gastroenterologists work together to reach a consensus on IBD therapy to ensure success and to reduce side effects and relapse to the lowest possible rates.© 2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.Key words: Inflammatory bowel disease; Psychiatry; Treatment; Personality traits; Depression; Anxiety Core tip: The involvement of a dysfunction of brain-gut interactions in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is represented by a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, an abnormal hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal axis and cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, a deleterious effect of stress and depression, an abnormal coupling of the prefrontal cortex-amygdaloid complex, and an abnormal relation between the microbiota and the brain as pro-inflammatory factors. New investigations have provided a critical link between forebrain changes and abdominal pain independent of active disease and drug treatment, providing a potential basis for an explanation of the psychological symptoms and brain influence in the pathogenesis of IBD.

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A longitudinal study of alexithymia and psychological distress in inflammatory bowel disease

Cited by 99 publications

References 20 publications

Relationships between Alexithymia, Emotional Control, and Quality of Life in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Relationships between Alexithymia, Emotional Control, and Quality of Life in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Alexithymia — State or Trait?

Psychiatric comorbidity in the treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease

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