The relationship between Alexithymia and depression according to some variables in a sample of alcohol addicts.

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Associate Professor of Psychology - Department of Psychology - Faculty of Education - Al-Malek Saud University - Riyadh

Abstract

    The present study aimed at finding out the relationship between alexithymia and depression according to some variables in a sample of alcohol addicts. The study sample consisted of (56) alcohol addicts in Al-Amal and Mental Health Complex in Riyadh. The current study found that 20% of the alcohol addicts have high Alexithymia and 74.5% of the average. There are also positive relations between the dimensions of the Alexithymia scale: difficulty in identifying feelings, difficulty in describing feelings, and between the total score of the depression scale, and those relations were statistically significant at (0.05) and less in relation to the dimensions (difficulty of identifying feelings, difficulty describing emotions), and not significant in relation to distance (external orientation in thinking). There was also a positive correlation between the total score of the Alexithymia scale and the total score of the depression scale. This relationship was statistically significant at (0.01). In addition, there were no differences in the degree on the scale of alexithymia due to the number of family members, family income, level of education of the father, or level of education of the mother of alcoholics. The results of the study also found that there are no differences in degree on the scale of depression due to the number of individuals Family income, father's level of education, or mother's level of alcoholics, and depression can be predicted through one dimension of alexithymia (after difficulty describing feelings).

Keywords

References

  1.  
    1. Athanasios, T.,  Georgios, M., Ioannis, I., Nikolaos, S.                       &  Alexandros, V. (2010), Prevalence of Alexithymai and its association with Anxiety and depression in a sample of Greek chronic obstructive pulmonary Disease   ( COPD ), Annals of General psychiatry 2010, 9- 16.
    2. Bagherkajbaf, M., Ghotbedinsadeghi & Hosseinmulavi, (2012), The Comparison of Schema therapy &Theatre therapy with Schema Concept on alexithymia On War Devotes Physical Handicap over 35 Percent In Isfahan City,Interdisciplinary Journal of Contempor Aary Research in Business, 41, (3), PP. 185-202.
    3. Barbera, K., Christensen, M., & Barchard, K. (2004). Relating family size and birth order to emotional intelligence. Poster presented at the 2004 western psychological association annual convocation: Phoenix Arizona.
    4. Beresnevite, M. (2000), Exploring the Benefits of Group Psychotherapy, in Reducing Alexithymia in Coronary Heart Diseases Patients, Psychotherapy& posychosomatics, 69, pp. 117-122.

 

 

  1. Bisson, J., Sheperd, J., Joy, D., Probert, R. & New Combe, R. (2004), Cognitive-behavioral therapy for post-traumatic stress symptoms after physical injury, The British Journal of Psychiatry, 184, pp. 63- 69.
  2. Chen, P-F., Chen, C-S., Chen, C-C. (2011). Alexithymia as a screening index for male conscripts with adjustment disorder. Psychiatric Q, 82, 139 – 150.
  3. Beck,  A. T. (1976), Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. New York: International Universities Press.
  4. Blatt, S. J. & Zuroff, D.C. (1992), Interpersonal relatedness and self-definition: Two prototypes for depression. Clinical Psychology Review, 12, 527–562.
  5. Blackwell, (1996), The Dictionary of  Neuropsychology.
  6. Campbell, (1994), Psychiatric dictionary. 7th ed. New York: Oxford Univ. Press. 
  7. Craighead, W., Miklowitz, D., & Craighead, L. (2013), Psychopathology: History, diagnosis, and empirical foundations. New York: Wiley.
  8. Cox, B. J., Sminson, R. P. & Shulman, I. D. (1995), Alexithymia in panic disorder, and social phobia, comprehensive psychiatry, vol (36).
  9. Davey, G. (2014), Psychopathology: Research, assessment and treatment in clinical psychology. New York: Wiley.
  10. Dodge, K. A. &  Garber  (1991), The development of emotion regulation and dysregulation. pp. 159- 181. New York: Cambridge University Press.
  11. Elfhag, K., Lundh, L., Honkalampi & Hintikka (2007), TAS-20 alexithymia in obesity and its links to personality. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 48 (5), pp. 391- 398.
  12. Greiss, J., Jefferson, J. (1992), Depression and its treatment. Washington, D.C:  American psychiatric press.
  13. Gruise, K.E., Becerra, R. (2018). Alexithymia and problematic alcohol use: A critical update. Addictive Behaviors, 77, PP. 232-246.
  14. Goldstein, A. P., Gershaw, N. J. & Sprafkin, R. P. (1993), Social skills for mental health: A structured learning approach. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
  15. Holmes, D. (1994), Abnormal psychology, New York: Harper Collins college.
  16. Horton, P. C., Gewirtz, H. & Kreutter, K. J. (1994), Alexithymia and panic disorder, American Journal of psychiatry, vol (151), pp. 627- 628.
  17. Honkalampi, K., Hintikka, J., Tanskanen, A. & Viinamaki, H. (2000), Depression is strongly associated with alexithymia in the general population. J Psychosom Res; 48:99-104.
  18. Hiltunen, L. (2008), The psychological and physical effects of expressive writing in individuals with binge eating disorder. Proquest Dissertation and Theses,622-638.
  19. Fukunishi, I., Rahe, RH. (1995), Alexithymia and coping with stress in healthy persons: alexithymia as apersonality trait is associated with low support and poor responses to stress. Psychol Rep 76:1299–1304.
  20. Franz, M., Popp, K., Schaefer, R., Sitte, W., Schneider, C., Hardt, J., Decker, O. & Braehler, E. (2008), Alexithymia in the German general population. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol, 43:54−62.
  21. Karukivi, M., Joukamaa, M., Hautala, L., Kaleva, O., Haapasalo-Pesu, K.-M., Liuksila, P. R., & Saarijarvi, S. (2011), Does perceived social support and parental attitude relate to alexithymia? A study in Finnish late adolescents. Psychiatry Research, 187, 254-260.
  22. Krystal, H. (1990), Psychoanalytic Terms and Concepts, Hillsdale, NJ: The Analytic press.
  23. Krystal, H. (1988), Integration and Self - Healing: Affect, Trauma, Alexithymia, Hillsdale, NJ: The Analytic press.
  24. Jaakko, E., Marko, P., Jorg, F.,, Esa, Al.,, Inga, P.,  Mari, T., Mauno, V. & Christian, g. (2011),Individual music therapy for depression: randomised controlled trial. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 199, 132–139.
  25. Joukamaa, M., Kokkonen, P., Veijola, J., Laksy, K., Karvonen, J. T., Jokelainen, J. &  Jarvelin, M. R. (2003), Socialsituation of expectant mothers and alexithymia 31 years later in their offspring: a prospective study. Psychosom Med;65:307−312.

 

 

  1. Jue Heekim, M. D., Seung Jae Lee, M. D. & Hyo Deog, M. D. (2008), The Relationship Between Alexithymai and General symptoms of patients with Depressive Disorders, Journal of Korean Neuropsychiatric Association, Psychiatry Investing. pp. 179 -185.
  2. Klein, Jesse, B. B. A., Jacobs, Rachel, H., Reinecke & Mark, A. (2007), Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adolescent Depression: A Meta-Analytic Investigation of Changes in effect Size Estimates, Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 46, pp. 1403-1413.
  3. Levant, R. F. (2001), Desperately seeking language: understanding, assessing and treating normative male alexithymia in G.R. Brooks & G.E. Good, the New Hand book of psychotherapy and counseling with men, San Francisco.
  4. Lipsanen, T., Saarijarvi, S. & Lauerma, H. (2004), Exploring the relations between depression, somatization, Dissociation and Alexithymia- overlapping or indenpent construction , Psychopathology, 37, 200- 206.
  5. Mattia, Desmet, Stign & Vanheule (2007). Alexithymic Depression: Fvidence for Depression subtype? Psychother psychosom , 76, 315-316.
  6. Mattila, A. (2009), Alexithymia in Finnish General Population. Acta Universitatis Tamperensis, 1377.Tampere University Press, 40−46.
  7. Moira, M. & Olivier, L. (2005), Is Alexithymia affected by situational stress or is it a stable trait related to emotion regulation, personality and individual differences, vol (940), pp. 1399-1408.
  8. Moorman, p. p., Bermond, B., Albach, F & van Dorp (1997), The etiology of Alexithymia from the perspective of childhood sexual abuse, Tilbrug university press.
  9. Paez, D., velasco, C. & Gonzalez, J. L. (1999), Expressive writhing and the role of alexithymia as dispositional deficit in self disclosure and psychological health, Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, (77), pp. 630- 641.
  10. Pennebaker, J. W. & Beall, S.K. (1986). Confronting a traumatic event; toward an understanding of inhibiting and disease, Journal of Abnormal  Psychology, (95), pp. 274-281.
  11. Nemiah, J. C. (1997), Alexithymia: Theoretical considerations, Psychotherapy and psychosomatics, vol (28), pp. 199-206.
  12. Oliver, Luminet, R. Michael, Bagby, Graeme, J. & Taylor (2001), Evaluation of the absolute and relative stability of alexithymai in patients with major depression, Psychother Psychosom. 70, 254-260
  13. Reese, J. B. (2008), Predicting Improvement in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Somatization Disorder: The Role of Alexithymia. A Dissertation submitted to the Graduate School-New Brunswick Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.
  14. Rufer, M., Hand, I., Braatz, A., Alsleben, H., Fricke, S. & Peter, H. (2004), Aprospective study of alexithymia in obsessive-compulsive patients treated with multimodal cognative behavioral therapy. Psychother Psychosom, 73, pp. 101-106.
  15. Salminen, J., Saarijarvi, S., Aarela, E., Toikka, T., & Kauhanen, J. (1999). Prevalence of alexithymia and its association with sociodemographic variables in the general population of Finland. Journal of Psychosomatic Research; 46, 75-82.
  16. Spek, V., Niklicek, I. & Cuijpers, P. (2008), Alexithymia and cognitive behavior therapy out come for subthreshold depression. Acta Psychiatric Scandinavice,118 (2), pp. 16-17.
  17. Taylor, G, J., Bagby, R. M. & Parker, J. D. (1997), Disorders of affect regulation, Alexithymai in medical and psychiatric illness. Cambridge University Press, New York.
  18. Taylor, G. J. (1994), The Alexithymia construct:Coneptnalization, validation, and relationship with basic dimensions of personality. New Trends in experimental and clinical psychiatry,10, pp. 61-74.
  19. Taylor, G. J. (2000), Recent developments in alexithymia theory and research, Canadian Journal of psychiatry, 45, pp. 134-142.
  20. Tominaga, T., Choi, H., Nagoshi, Y., Wada, Y., Fukui, K. (2013), Relationship between alexithymia and coping strategies in patients with somatoform disorder. Journal Neuropsychiatric disease and Treatment, 10, pp. 55-62.
  21. Yalug, I. (2010), Correlations between alexithymia and pain severity,depression, and anxiety among patients with chronicand episodic migraine. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences,64,  231–238.
  22. Yi, Y., Zhong, T., Luo, Z., Ling, Y. & Yao, Q. (2009), Characteristics of emotion cognitive processing and cognative regulation in Alexithymia. Hines Mertal Health Journal, 23 (2), pp. 118-122.

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics