Alexithymic characteristics in pediatric patients with primary headache: a comparison between migraine and tension-type headache

Abstract

BackgroundAlexithymia is a personality construct characterized by difficulties in verbal emotional expression and a limited ability to use one’s imagination. Evidence of alexithymic characteristics was found in adults suffering from headache, while little is known about children. The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of alexithymia in two different subgroups of children and adolescents suffering from primary headache. We also looked for correlation between alexithymia in children and in their mothers.MethodsThis study involved 89 participants: 47 (11 males, 36 females, aged 8 to 17 years) suffering from tension-type headache (TTH), and 42 (18 males, 24 females, aged 8 to 17 years) suffering from migraine (M), based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD 2013). A control group of 32 headache-free subjects (26 females and 6 males, aged 8 to17 years) was also considered. Two questionnaires were administered to measure alexithymia: the Alexithymia Questionnaire for Children to young patients and controls, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) to the mothers.ResultsHigher rates of alexithymia emerged in the TTH group compared to the M group. In particular, TTH sufferers had difficulty identifying their feelings. The mothers of children with headaches didn’t score higher in alexithymia compared to other mothers. In the M and in the control group, there was a significant correlation between the rates of alexithymia in young people and in their mothers.ConclusionsTo date no other study has investigated alexithymia in subgroups of primary headaches in developmental age. Our results suggest that patients suffering from TTH are more alexithymic than M patients. This pave the way to etiopathogenetic and clinical considerations, calling for a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to tackle the problem of headache.

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

“…Empirical studies found that alexithymia, i.e., difficulty in identifying and describing feelings and modulating states of emotional arousal (17,18), is associated with both selfharming (19)(20)(21) and psychosomatic behavior (16)(17)(18).…”

Alexithymia in parents and adolescents with generalised anxiety disorder

“…Several studies have shown a relationship between alexithymia and different psychiatric disorders, such as depression (Honkalampi et al, 2009;Son et al, 2012;Taylor et al, 1999), eating and body dysmorphic disorders (Fenwick & Sullivan, 2011;Guttman & Laporte, 2002;Karukivi et al, 2010;Speranza et al, 2005), somatoform pain disorder (Burba et al, 2006), migraine (Cerutti et al, 2016;Gatta et al, 2015) and dissociation (Grabe, Rainermann, Spitzer, Gänsicke, & Freyberger, 2000). Moreover, Mennin, Heimberg, Turk, and Fresco (2005) showed that adults who met diagnostic criteria for generalised anxiety disorders (GADs) reported a higher intensity of emotional experience, higher tendency to express negative emotions and less ability to self-soothe after negative emotions than did controls.…”

Familial factors relating to alexithymic traits in adolescents with psychiatric disorders

“…The very few studies conducted on clinical samples of children and adolescents found a complex, non‐linear relationship between the emotional functioning of both parents and their offspring. A relationship between alexithymia in mothers and their children was only partially confirmed for samples of patients suffering from primary headache (Gatta et al, ). In samples of female anorexic patients, on the other hand, there was a major role for fathers in the emotional deficits and psychiatric disorders of the daughters (Duclos et al, ).…”