Sex‐specific role of alexithymia in associations between parental bonding and mental health: A moderated mediation model

Ru, Li; Kajanoja, Jani; Karlsson, Linnéa; Karlsson, Hasse; Karukivi, Max

doi:10.1002/jclp.23372

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 91 publications

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“…Our findings demonstrate a higher risk for alexithymia among male patients, aligning with van't Wout et al's study on 43 schizophrenia patients (van't Wout et al, 2007). This result was echoed in studies of adolescents (Jafar et al, 2021), the general population (Lane et al, 1998; Li et al, 2022), and outpatients with alcohol use disorder (Thorberg et al, 2020). The higher risk of alexithymia in male patients might be explained as follows.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Alexithymia in Chinese patients with chronic schizophrenia: Prevalence, clinical correlates, and relationship with neurocognition and empathy

Peng,

Wang,

Wang

et al. 2023

Asia-Pacific Psychiatry

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IntroductionAlexithymia is highly prevalent and strongly related to adverse consequences in patients with schizophrenia. However, its associated factors remain largely unexplored. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of alexithymia and its association with sociocultural characteristics, clinical symptoms, neurocognition, and empathy in 854 Chinese patients with schizophrenia.MethodDemographic information was collected through a self‐designed questionnaire. Alexithymia was assessed by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS‐20). We assessed clinical symptoms, neurocognition, and empathy via the following instruments: Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status, and Interpersonal Reactivity Index. A multiple logistic regression model was conducted to determine the independent correlates of alexithymia.ResultsApproximately one‐third (n = 277, 32%) of patients with schizophrenia had alexithymia. Patients with alexithymia had significantly more severe negative symptoms, neurocognition, and empathy impairment than patients without alexithymia. Being male, negative symptoms, personal distress, empathic concern, and language functioning were independently associated with alexithymia.DiscussionOur findings demonstrate a high prevalence of alexithymia and its strong association with clinical symptoms, neurocognition, and empathy, which calls for timely screening and intervention for alexithymia in patients with schizophrenia. Targeting impaired language function, negative symptoms, and impaired affective empathy might help reduce alexithymia and its related negative consequences.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Alexithymia in Chinese patients with chronic schizophrenia: Prevalence, clinical correlates, and relationship with neurocognition and empathy

Peng,

Wang,

Wang

et al. 2023

Asia-Pacific Psychiatry

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“…Relationships between alexithymia and parental bonding have been investigated in many clinical and non-clinical populations. [25][26][27]34,41,42,50 Thorberg et al found a negative relationship between maternal care and alexithymia and a positive relationship between maternal overprotection and alexithymia in their meta-analysis study. 26 In addition, paternal overprotection is related to high alexithymia and difficulties in identifying and describing emotions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…[25][26][27]41 According to a metaanalysis 26 of studies using the PBI, there is a negative association between maternal care and alexithymia and a positive association between parental overprotection and alexithymia. More recently, alexithymia has been found to be a potential mediator between perceived dysfunctional parental bonding and psychological symptoms 42 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alexithymia and Parental Bonding in Women with Genitopelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder

Özdemir

Ergelen

Ozen

et al. 2022

NDT

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Objective The role of emotion regulation and alexithymia in the pathophysiology of genitopelvic pain/penetration disorder (GPPPD) is emphasized. Parental bonding is linked to emotion regulation and alexithymia. This study aimed to examine the relationships between parental bonding, alexithymia, and GPPPD. Patients and Methods Sixty-four patients with GPPPD were enrolled in the study, and 60 controls were matched for demographic features. Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) was used to evaluate alexithymia, the Bonding to Parents Scale (BPS) was used to assess parental bonding, and sexual functions were assessed via Golombok–Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS). Results The rate of alexithymic traits was statistically higher in the GPPPD group than in the controls ( p = 0.005). Patients with GPPPD obtained higher scores on the maternal care/control ( p = 0.003) and maternal overprotection ( p = 0.008) compared to controls. Difficulty describing feelings factor of alexithymia ( p = 0.012) emerged as a predictor of group membership (GPPPD vs controls). To test whether alexithymia was significantly associated with parental bonding, all subjects were divided into two subgroups, alexithymic and non-alexithymic. When the subgroups were compared in terms of parental attitudes, maternal ( p = 0.034) and paternal ( p = 0.006) overprotection subscale scores were higher in the alexithymic group than in the non-alexithymic group. Discussion According to the results, alexithymic traits are characteristic of patients with GPPPD; however, although patients with GPPPD may experience difficulties with perceived parental bonding, this factor does not appear to be a predictor of GPPPD.

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“…Alexithymia has long been found to be associated with depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms [ 59 – 61 ]. In our study, however, neither increasing nor decreasing depressive symptoms was predicted by alexithymia, indicating that the parents with high alexithymia levels seemed not to have significant emotional responses to the pandemic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trajectories of COVID-19 pandemic-related depressive symptoms and potential predictors: the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study

Li,

Karukivi,

Lindblom

et al. 2023

Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol

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Purpose In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health problems have been reported, and parents of young children may be more vulnerable to psychological distress due to increased caregiving responsibilities. However, research on the heterogeneity of the longitudinal course of psychological symptoms during the pandemic and the predispositions linked with these courses is still scarce. This study aimed to identify differential trajectories of depressive symptoms among the parents of young children and investigate the role of temperament traits, alexithymia, and coping styles in the heterogeneity of the symptom trajectories. Methods The sample consists of 844 parents from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study. Latent growth mixture modeling was utilized to identify trajectories of depressive symptoms from pre-pandemic between 2014 and 2019 (T0, the closest available measurement was used) to May/June 2020 (T1) and December 2020 (T2) during the pandemic. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine temperament, alexithymia, and coping as predictors of symptom trajectories, controlling for various background factors. Results Four trajectories of depressive symptoms were identified. Most parents experienced low and stable depressive symptoms. Negative affect, effortful control, alexithymia, emotion-diverting coping (self-distraction and venting), and avoidant coping (denial and behavioral disengagement) were predictors for subclinical stable depressive symptoms. Constructive coping (positive reframing, acceptance, and humor) protected the cohort parents from increasing or moderately high depressive symptoms. Conclusions The findings have implications for identifying vulnerable individuals with specific traits and strengthening of constructive coping strategies as possible foci in interventions for depression during global crises.

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Sex‐specific role of alexithymia in associations between parental bonding and mental health: A moderated mediation model

Cited by 8 publications

References 91 publications

Alexithymia in Chinese patients with chronic schizophrenia: Prevalence, clinical correlates, and relationship with neurocognition and empathy

Alexithymia in Chinese patients with chronic schizophrenia: Prevalence, clinical correlates, and relationship with neurocognition and empathy

Alexithymia and Parental Bonding in Women with Genitopelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder

Trajectories of COVID-19 pandemic-related depressive symptoms and potential predictors: the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study

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