Alexithymia and Early Maladaptive Schemas in chronic pain patients

Saariaho, Anita; Saariaho, Tom; Mattila, Aino K.; Karukivi, Max; Joukamaa, Matti

doi:10.1111/sjop.12226

Cited by 25 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 75 publications

(87 reference statements)

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“…Neither was performed mediational analysis regarding a crosssectional perspective within these variables. However, a mediational role of early maladaptive schemas between psychological constructs and symptoms is well documented in the literature (Balsamo, Carlucci, Sergi, Murdock, & Saggino, 2015;Roelofs, Lee, Ruijten, & Lobbestael, 2011;Roelofs, Onckels, & Muris, 2013;Schatzman, 2009). Thus, according to Kazdin (2007Kazdin ( , 2009, mediational analysis may be a privileged method to identify complex interactions between psychological constructs in psychotherapy research.…”

Section: Key Practitioner Messagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationships between emotional processing difficulties and early maladaptive schemas on the regulation of psychological needs

Faustino

Vasco

2020

Clin Psychology and Psychoth

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Emotional processing difficulties may be viewed as dysfunctional emotional states emerging from non-adequately processed emotional experience while early maladaptive schemas are experienced-based dysfunctional mental structures associated with chronic and recurrent psychological disorders. Schemas and emotional difficulties were previously associated with impairments on the regulation of psychological needs. However, clarifications about the relationships between these constructs are lacking. In a cross-sectional study, a clinical sample of 66 participants (M = 46.4, SD = 13.1) completed self-report questionnaires. Emotional processing difficulties correlated positively with schemas and negatively with the regulation of psychological needs. Disconnection and rejection, lack of autonomy and impaired limits schema domains mediated the relationship between emotional processing difficulties and psychological needs. Emotional processing difficulties may be associated with impairments on the regulation of psychological needs, due to activation of early maladaptive schemas, which, in turn, prompts symptomatology. Transtheoretical intervention regarding marker-guided interventions and phase-by-phase schema restructuring may be used to promote the regulation of psychological needs.

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Section: Key Practitioner Messagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationships between emotional processing difficulties and early maladaptive schemas on the regulation of psychological needs

Faustino

Vasco

2020

Clin Psychology and Psychoth

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“…However, the connection between alexithymia and the intensity of pain is not always clear, and in some research this connection was not found [23], which coincides with the results of our research. It may be indirectly connected with other negative factors, in particular depression [24,25,26,27]. Previous research also confirmed these results without correlation [22,28], positive correlation or mixed results [29].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Alexithymia and Quality of Life in Adult Patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Dzhus

2018

Arch. clin. med.

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Patients with chronic pain disturb not only quality of life (QL) but also develop difficulties in describing their feelings. Prolonged pain, stress, pathological conditions and related emotions can alter the perceived sensation of pain. The aim of our study was to study the QL and the level of alexithymia in adult patients with different types of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).Materials and methods. 173 young people aged 18-40 years old were examined: 118 adult patients with different ILAR variants of JIA, 30 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and 25 healthy young people. The QL was assessed using the Short-Form-36 questionnaire (SF36) with further assessing the level of alexithymia by Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-20).Results. The analysis of QL shows that PCS (44.8±9.9) was significantly lower (p=0.001) in patients with JIA than in healthy subjects (55.7±6.9) of the corresponding age and sex, but did not differ from patients with AS (42.3±7.5). Patients with JIA had lower physical (p=0.001), role functioning (p=0.001) and bodily pain (p=0.001) compared with healthy, with no difference from patients with AS. In the distribution of patients with JIA in groups by the level of alexithymia, differences in QL were not revealed by MCS or PCS and scales related with them. The relationship analysis between the alexithymia and QL in patients with JIA shows, that elevated and high levels of alexithymia were related with low levels of MCS (p<0.05), role functioning (p<0.05), mental health (p<0.05). PCS and physical functioning did not affect the level of alexithymia in adult patients with JIA. PCS, role functioning, bodily pain, and general health were the lowest in patients with poly-articular JIA. However patients with oligo-, poly-articular, enthesyte-related JIA had no differences on scales related to PCS. Patients with poly-JIA with elevated and high levels of alexithymia revealed significantly lower social (p<0.05) and role (p<0.05) functioning, mental health (p<0.05) compared to patients without alexithymia. The presence of low bodily pain in alexithymic patients was found. Signs of alexithymia were found in 90% and 85% of adult patients with the oligo-arthritis and enthesyte-related JIA, respectively. The comparison of the QL in patients with oligo-arthritis and enthesitis-related JIA with different levels of the alexithymia shows no significant differences.Conclusions. 85.2% of adult patients with different variants of JIA have elevated and high levels of alexithymia. Adult patients with JIA have lower physical functioning than healthy individuals of the same age and sex, although they do not differ from the control group and AS group on psychological functioning and related vitality, social and role functioning, and mental health. The presence of alexithymia is related with a low level of psychological functioning, role functioning, mental health. However, physical functioning did not affect the level of alexithymia in adult patients with JIA. Patients with poly-JIA have the lowest physical, role function, bodily pain and general health, but according to the psychological functioning there were no differences between different variants of JIA in adulthood. Patients with poly-JIA with elevated and high levels of alexithymia have significantly lower social (p<0.05), role (p<0.05) functioning and mental health (p<0.05) compared to patients without signs of alexithymia.

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“…Thus, treatments that sequence specific techniques ( e.g ., skill training to enhance distress tolerance and develop emotion awareness/regulation capacities, followed by narrative exposure and emotional processing work) may be more effective (Cloitre et al, 2012 ; Klein & Reyno, 2016; 2017; 2019). Additionally, individuals with alexithymia and dissociation often report maladaptive self and other schema arising from attachment ruptures and other developmental or relational traumas that hinder treatment progress (Saariaho, Saariaho, Mattila, Karukivi, & Joukamaa, 2015 ). To accelerate psychotherapeutic efforts, a conscious alliance and active engagement are required.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A meta-analytic study examining the relationship between alexithymia and dissociation in psychiatric and non-clinical populations

Reyno

Simmons

Kinley

2020

ResPsy

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Alexithymia and dissociation have been consistently linked in the literature, particularly in psychiatric populations. Both arise from a disconnection between conscious aspects of self-experiences and perceptions at both the mental self and bodily levels. This results in difficulty integrating thoughts, feelings and experiences into consciousness and memory, negatively impacting emotion awareness/regulation and reflective functioning. We conducted a meta-analysis to examine the strength of the relationship between alexithymia and dissociation in both clinical and non-clinical populations. Studies using two common measures of these constructs were included (i.e., the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Dissociative Experiences Scale). Analyzing the effect sizes derived from 19 studies (including a total of 4664 participants) revealed moderate to strong relationships between alexithymia and dissociation. The strength of the association increased in clinical and younger aged non clinical populations. These findings are discussed in the context of treatment recommendations.

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Alexithymia and Early Maladaptive Schemas in chronic pain patients

Cited by 25 publications

References 75 publications

Relationships between emotional processing difficulties and early maladaptive schemas on the regulation of psychological needs

Relationships between emotional processing difficulties and early maladaptive schemas on the regulation of psychological needs

Alexithymia and Quality of Life in Adult Patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

A meta-analytic study examining the relationship between alexithymia and dissociation in psychiatric and non-clinical populations

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