Dental anxiety and alexithymia: Gender differences

Viinikangas, Aki; Lahti, Satu; Tolvanen, Mimmi; Freeman, Ruth; Humphris, Gerry; Joukamaa, Matti

doi:10.1080/00016350802459264

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Gender differences were found in the DIF factor of alexithymia, with female students showing higher scores, which contrasts with research that indicates that males have higher levels of alexithymia than females (Chen and Chung, 2016). Nevertheless, our finding is consistentwith other studies that show the converse (Levant et al, 2009; Viinikangas et al, 2009). The magnitude of the difference was small but indicates that females may have more difficulties in identifying their feelings.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

Mindfulness and Suicide Risk in Undergraduates: Exploring the Mediating Effect of Alexithymia

et al. 2019

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The present study was designed to examine the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and suicide risk in undergraduates, and it further explored the potential mediating role of alexithymia in this relationship. A total of 2,633 undergraduates completed the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire – Revised (SBQ-R), and the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). The results indicate that mindfulness and suicide risk were negatively correlated, and alexithymia partially mediated the relationship between mindfulness and suicide risk only in the female undergraduates. Moreover, only the difficulty in identifying feelings (DIF) factor of alexithymia mediated the relationship between mindfulness and suicide risk in the female undergraduates. These findings contribute to the potential mechanism that explains the relationship between mindfulness and suicide risk. Furthermore, it is possible to implement mindfulness in the suicide intervention of alexithymic individuals.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

Mindfulness and Suicide Risk in Undergraduates: Exploring the Mediating Effect of Alexithymia

et al. 2019

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“…Endogenous etiology is considered to be at least as important and it has been suggested that dental fear is part of a generalized anxiety syndrome involving multiple phobias and psychiatric diagnoses, such as depression and anxiety (12)(13)(14)(15). Dental fear is also associated with certain personality traits, for example alexithymia (15)(16)(17)(18)(19). This association between dental fear and psychological disorders has been suggested to represent individuals' endogenous vulnerability (15,20).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes over time in adult dental fear and correlation to depression and anxiety: a cohort study of pregnant mothers and fathers

Tolvanen

Hagqvist

Luoto

et al. 2013

European J Oral Sciences

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We aimed to evaluate (i) changes in dental fear over time during pregnancy and after delivery among mothers and fathers and (ii) whether these changes inter-relate to changes in depression and anxiety. Longitudinal pilot data for the FinnBrain Cohort study were used. Of 254 pregnant families, 80% agreed to participate and 60% returned questionnaires at the first data-collection point. After three data-collection points [weeks 18-20 and 32-34 of pregnancy (H18-20 and H32-34, respectively), and 3 months after childbirth], 99 mothers and 74 fathers had filled out at least two out of three Modified Dental Anxiety Scale questionnaires and were included in this study. Other questionnaires used were the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the State Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Pregnancy Related Anxiety Questionnaire. All scales were analyzed as sum scores. Among mothers, dental fear decreased during late pregnancy and increased slightly after childbirth, but no statistically significant correlations between dental fear and depression or anxiety, except for fear of giving birth, were found. Among fathers dental fear increased and was correlated with depression and anxiety. Dental fear seems to fluctuate among women during pregnancy and could be affected by hormonal changes.

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“…The explanatory variable, dental fear, was measured using a validated and reliable questionnaire, the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) . The MDAS measures patient's dental fear with five questions considering a forthcoming dental visit, the dentist's waiting room, tooth drilling, tooth scaling, and local anesthetic injections.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Each question has five response alternatives, from 'not anxious' to 'extremely anxious', yielding a range of 5-25 for the total score, with a higher score representing higher dental fear. The MDAS scores were classified into two categories: high dental fear (MDAS scores [19][20][21][22][23][24][25] and no-to moderate dental fear (MDAS scores 5-18), according to HUMPH-RIS et al (22,24).…”

Section: Questionnairesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dental fear affects adolescent perception of interaction with dental staff

Jaakkola

Lahti

Räihä

et al. 2014

European J Oral Sciences

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The main purpose of this study was to explore whether subjective perception of interaction with dental staff is associated with dental fear in a population-based sample of 18-yr-old adolescents (n = 773). The interaction was measured using the Patient Dental Staff Interaction Questionnaire (PDSIQ), validated with exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, which yielded the factors of 'kind atmosphere and mutual communication', 'roughness', 'insecurity', 'trust and safety', and 'shame and guilt'. Dental fear was measured using the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS). Gender and sense of coherence (SOC) were included as potential confounding variables. Adolescents with high dental fear more often perceived their interaction with dental staff negatively and more often felt insecure than others. This difference persisted after adjustment for gender and SOC. In conclusion, adolescents with high dental fear may perceive their interaction with dental staff more positively if the staff succeed in creating a positive, trusting, approving, and supportive atmosphere with kindness, calmness, and patience. The communication and interaction skills of dental staff may play a particularly important role when encountering highly fearful dental patients.

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Dental anxiety and alexithymia: Gender differences

Abstract: In a sample representing Finnish adult dental patients, alexithymia was associated with dental anxiety.

Cited by 13 publications

References 34 publications

Mindfulness and Suicide Risk in Undergraduates: Exploring the Mediating Effect of Alexithymia

Mindfulness and Suicide Risk in Undergraduates: Exploring the Mediating Effect of Alexithymia

Changes over time in adult dental fear and correlation to depression and anxiety: a cohort study of pregnant mothers and fathers

Dental fear affects adolescent perception of interaction with dental staff

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