Alexithymia and dissociative tendencies in an adolescent sample from Eastern Turkey

Abstract

Alexithymia and dissociative reactions are two strategies that have been put forward as coping mechanisms to alleviate painful emotions. Adult studies reveal an association between alexithymia and dissociation. In line with the coping hypothesis, it was predicted that the relationship between alexithymia and dissociative tendencies would be partly mediated by current levels of stress and past traumatic experiences. Dissociation may also be related to enhanced fantasizing, although alexithymia has traditionally been associated with an incapacity to fantasize. This relationship has not been studied well in adolescents. In the present study, 173 randomly selected high school students from Eastern Turkey were assessed with the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale, the Beck Depression and Anxiety inventories, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Correlation analyses followed by stepwise regression analyses were performed. 'Difficulty identifying feelings' subscale of Toronto Alexithymia Scale, anxiety level and the history of physical abuse emerged as predictors of dissociative tendencies. It seems that in this group, dissociation is associated with anxiety and with difficulty in identifying feelings. Physical abuse also contributes to dissociation. The adolescent who is alexithymic may be more prone to dissociation when compared to their non-alexithymic peers. Helping alexithymic adolescents describe their body experiences may decrease their tendency to dissociation by increasing their ability to verbally identify their stressors.

Dissociation and alexithymia among men with alcoholism

“…Sayar et al found a high association between dissociative experiences and 'difficulty in identifying feelings' (DIF). 49 Similarly, in a British undergraduate sample, although the general measure of alexithymia was linked to dissociation, dissociative experiences were predicted only by DIF but not by other dimensions of alexithymia. 41 In line with these observations, the present study also demonstrated an association between dissociation and DIF but not with the other dimensions.…”

The human mirror neuron system in a population with deficient self‐awareness: An fMRI study in alexithymia

“…ALEX has been repeatedly found in broad spectrum of psychiatric disorders (e.g., substance use disorder [Cleland et al, 2005;Haviland et al, 1988Haviland et al, , 1994Mann et al, 1995;Taylor et al, 1990], posttraumatic stress disorder [Alvarez and Shipko, 1991;Frewen et al, 2008a,b;Hyer et al, 1990;Krystal et al, 1986b], and dissociative disorders [Elzinga et al, 2002;Irwin and Melbin-Helberg, 1997;Sayar et al, 2005;Zlotnick et al, 1996]). At the same time, it is noteworthy that there is a considerable group of psychiatric disorders characterized by ALEX involving deficits in the recognition of feelings belonging to the self and identification with others, such as autism and Asperger syndrome (AS) [Berthoz and Hill, 2005;Frith, 2004;Hill et al, 2004], schizophrenia [Cedro et al, 2001;Stanghellini and Ricca, 1995], and borderline personality disorder [Guttman and Laporte, 2002].…”

The Relationships between Early Trauma, Dissociation, and Alexithymia in Alcohol Addiction

“…Both dissociation and alexithymia have been considered impairments of emotive perception that help trauma survivors manage overwhelming or difficult affective states 33. Several studies have investigated the impact of trauma on alexithymia 34,35.…”