Alexithymia and Psychological Distress in Patients With Fibromyalgia and Rheumatic Disease

Marchi, Laura; Marzetti, Francesca; Orrù, Graziella; Lemmetti, Simona; Miccoli, Mario; Ciacchini, Rebecca; Hitchcott, Paul Kenneth; Bazzicchi, Laura; Gemignani, Angelo; Conversano, Ciro

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01735

Cited by 55 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 99 publications

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“…Toronto Alexithymia Scale [TAS-20; (28)]. In order to evaluate the presence of alexithymia, a multidimensional construct often associated to FMS (29), the Italian version of the TAS-20 has been used. The TAS-20 individuals items are reported.…”

Section: Instrumentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Machine Learning Increases Diagnosticity in Psychometric Evaluation of Alexithymia in Fibromyalgia

et al. 2020

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Here, we report an investigation on the accuracy of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, a measure to assess alexithymia, a multidimensional construct often associate to fibromyalgia. Two groups of participants, patients with fibromyalgia (n = 38), healthy controls (n = 38) were administered the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and background tests. Machine learning models achieved an overall accuracy higher than 80% in detecting both patients with fibromyalgia and healthy controls. The parameter which alone has demonstrated maximum efficiency in classifying the single subject within the two groups has been the item 3 of the alexithymia scale. The analysis of the most informative features, based on all scales administered, revealed that item 3 and 13 of the alexithymia questionnaire and the visual analog scale scores were the most informative attributes in correctly classifying participants (accuracy above 85%). An additional analyses using only the alexithymia scale subset of items and the visual analog scale scores has shown that the predictors which efficiently classified patients with fibromyalgia and controls were the item 3 and 7 (accuracy = 85.53%). Our findings suggest that machine learning models analysis based on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale subset of items scores accurately distinguish patients with fibromyalgia from healthy controls.

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Section: Instrumentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Machine Learning Increases Diagnosticity in Psychometric Evaluation of Alexithymia in Fibromyalgia

et al. 2020

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“…Chronic diseases are largely represented among the general population, and their incidence is constantly increasing all over the world. It has been recognized that affective and emotional symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, respectively, could embody predictors of several chronic diseases (Conversano et al, 2015;Catalano et al, 2017Catalano et al, , 2018Martino et al, 2018aMartino et al, ,b, 2019bKelly et al, 2019;Marchi et al, 2019). Particularly, psychological factors may compromise patients' compliance and adherence, and this could increase mortality and mobility independently from many confounders (Wang et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Going Beyond the Visible in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Defense Mechanisms and Their Associations With Depression and Health-Related Quality of Life

et al. 2020

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Introduction: Clinical psychological features may impact a person's aptitude to deal with chronic diseases, leading to emotional distress, suffering, and a worse perceived quality of life (QoL). Chronic diseases are largely represented, and their incidence is constantly increasing all over the world. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most common chronic diseases and it is very difficult to manage, demanding long term self-management, which improves the perceived QoL. The aim of this study was to explore defense mechanisms, depression, QoL, time since diagnosis, and metabolic control in T2DM patients. Methods: 51 patients with T2DM were assessed through a psychodiagnostic battery: Beck Depression Inventory-II, the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, including indexes of Physical and Mental Component Summary and the Defense Mechanisms Inventory. Times since DM diagnosis and glycated hemoglobin values were detected. Results: Participants were mainly female (62.74%), with a mean age of 66.1 years. T2DM time since diagnosis was 11.77 years (SD = 7.1). Mild depression was detected (with an overall score between 13 and 19). Projection was significantly associated with higher depression and with lower physical well-being; Principalization was negatively associated with depression and positively with both physical and mental well-being. Turning Against Self correlated positively with physical well-being and negatively with mental well-being. Reversal was associated with lower depression and higher mental well-being. A negative high correlation emerged between depression and mental wellbeing. Finally, a significant relationship was found between Projection and higher time since diagnosis (r = 0.31, p < 0.05).

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“…More research is needed to elucidate the relationship between somatic complaints and self-harm in young people. Some studies exploring the relationship between alexithymia and somatic symptoms (35)(36)(37)(38)-also in clinical samples, such as patients with depression (39)-have identified an association between these two conditions, especially for difficulty in identifying feelings, however, this link is sometimes unclear or can be mediated by psychological distress (40). These features of alexithymia could represent itself, indeed, a high risk of psychological distress (41).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using the Body When There Are No Words for Feelings: Alexithymia and Somatization in Self-Harming Adolescents

et al. 2020

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The present case-control study aimed to investigate the relationship between alexithymia and somatic complaints in the psychopathological setting of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). A clinical sample of 134 adolescents (115 females; 85.5%) from 12 to 18 years old engaging in NSSI was compared with a control group of 243 high-school students (157 females; 64.6%) from 13 to 18 years old. Data were collected using two questionnaires: The Youth Self-Report 11-18 and the 20 Toronto Alexithymia Scale. In both cases and controls, the presence of somatization and alexithymia was associated with more severe psychopathological problems. Analyses were conducted to explore the association between somatic disorders and alexithymia. In the clinical group, somatic complaints were reported by 95.9% of alexithymic individuals, whereas only 44.3% of alexithymic adolescents reported somatic complaints. A one-way relationship emerged between somatization and alexithymia: while alexithymia would seem to be a factor associated with self-injury, somatic disorders were strongly associated with alexithymia, but not necessarily with self-injury. Among the self-harming adolescents, those with both alexithymia and somatization had a more severe psychopathological picture than the individuals with alexithymia but no somatization. This would suggest that, in the setting of NSSI, greater difficulty with identifying feelings is associated with somatization, and alexithymia would be an attribute common to self-harming behavior and somatization, both of which are characterized by the body being used to express psychological and emotional problems. Future research could further investigate alexithymia in self-harming individuals, in relation to any presence or absence of somatic disorders, with longitudinal assessments on any differences in their manifestation of self-injury and its psychopathological correlates.

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Alexithymia and Psychological Distress in Patients With Fibromyalgia and Rheumatic Disease

Cited by 55 publications

References 99 publications

Machine Learning Increases Diagnosticity in Psychometric Evaluation of Alexithymia in Fibromyalgia

Machine Learning Increases Diagnosticity in Psychometric Evaluation of Alexithymia in Fibromyalgia

Going Beyond the Visible in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Defense Mechanisms and Their Associations With Depression and Health-Related Quality of Life

Using the Body When There Are No Words for Feelings: Alexithymia and Somatization in Self-Harming Adolescents

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