The Role of Alexithymia and Coping Strategies in Eating Disorders: a Pilot Study

Marchiol, Fiorenza; Penolazzi, Barbara; Cavallero, Corrado; Luxardi, Gian Luigi

doi:10.1007/s41470-019-00066-9

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Food rituals represent a means of self-care for the regulation of unpleasant emotional states and other aspects of oneself. Eating behaviors, with an illusion of necessity, contain the emotional experience, and reinforce the sense of inviolability and psychological integrity, to the point of becoming a compulsive defense mechanism aimed at regulating intolerable states of tension [53][54][55][56]. The latter, being expressed immediately through motor and somatic channels, would give rise to the maladaptive modalities of affective regulation…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autobiographical narratives in relation to affect regulation in an Italian sample of patients in an acute phase of Anorexia Nervosa

Mariani

Marini

Trani

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Purpose: This research aims to analyze the relationship between emotional regulation and the symbolic process in autobiographical narratives in a group of individuals diagnosed with restrictive Anorexia Nervosa (AN), compared to a non-clinical group. The study is framed within Multiple Code Theory MCT (Bucci, 1997; 2021) which considers mind-body integration. The purposes of this study are to investigate whether AN will show greater alexithymia and emotional dysregulation than the non-clinical group; and whether the specific linguistic and symbolic features, such as somatic-sensory words, affect words, and difficulty in symbolizing process will predict the AN group.Methods: Twenty-nine female participants hospitalized with AN in an acute phase (mean age 19.8 ±4.1) and thirty-six non-clinical female participants (mean age 21 ±2.4) were selected through snow-ball sampling. The participants completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Profile of Mood of State (POMS), the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), and a Relationship Anecdotes Paradigm Interview (RAP). The Referential Process (RP) Linguistic Measures has been applied to transcribed interviews. A T-test for paired samples and logistic binary regression has been performed.Results: AN presented a significantly higher emotional dysregulation through the ERQ, TAS20 and POMS measures. Specifically, AN showed higher ER expression/suppression strategies, fewer functional cognitive strategies, higher alexithymia, and higher mood dysregulation. Specific linguistic features such as sensory-somatic, affect word, and difficulty in RP symbolizing, predict the AN group (R2 = .349; χ2 = 27,929; df = 3; p = .001).Conclusions: Emotional dysregulation is connected to AN symptoms and autobiographical narratives. The results can help a clinical assessment phase showing specific linguistic features in AN patients.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autobiographical narratives in relation to affect regulation in an Italian sample of patients in an acute phase of Anorexia Nervosa

Mariani

Marini

Trani

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…Conceptually, mediators are of interest as the causal links or mechanisms through which a certain feature (in this instance, autism or autistic traits) increases vulnerability for certain psychopathologies (in this case, ED). Both alexithymia [37,55] and anxious/depressive symptoms are common in autistic people and individuals with high degrees of autistic traits [56], and in populations with ED [13,33,34]. Like non-autistic counterparts [57], autistic participants with anorexia nervosa describe feelings of 'emotional confusion' and anxiety which are quietened or numbed through restrictive behaviours [58].…”

Section: Alexithymia Anxiety and Depression; Their Relation To Ed Psy...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The third caveat of studies suggesting an emotionrelated mediator of the relationship between autistic traits and ED psychopathology [16][17][18] is that they often failed to adequately separate out effects of alexithymia from those of anxiety and depression, which can inflate the relationship between ED symptomatology and autistic traits [32] or even give rise to the appearance of alexithymia in people with ED [33]. The latter view is contraindicated by studies showing the independence and perseveration of alexithymia in people recovered from ED [16,34,35], and by the dominant view of alexithymia as a personality trait which maintains a relative stability throughout the life-course and itself increases risk for depression and anxiety, alongside ED [10,36]. From the standpoint that autistic traits and alexithymia are both relatively stable and closely related [37], it is possible that risk of ED associated with either anxiety or depression might, in fact, involve or be dependent on alexithymia as an additional, preceding mediator, but this has not been investigated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex-specific mechanisms for eating disorder risk in men and women with autistic traits: the role of alexithymia

et al. 2023

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Background A poorly understood relationship exists between eating disorders (ED) and autism spectrum conditions (ASC: henceforth ‘autism’). ED are more prevalent in autistic people and people with high autistic traits, and autistic features are prognostic of longer illness. Aiming to understand what increases the risk of ED in relation to autism and autistic traits, previous research has implicated alexithymia as a causal mechanism in this relationship. These studies could not, however, disentangle whether alexithymia explains the relationship between ED pathology and autistic traits directly or through its impact on anxious/depressive symptoms, which in turn result in higher ED symptomatology. Moreover, despite evidence for sex differences in the aetiology of ED, little research has examined the impact of sex on these relationships. Methods Focusing on the association between autistic traits and ED psychopathology, we examined independent mediating effects of alexithymia and anxious/depressive symptoms, as well as sequential mediation effects where alexithymia affects ED psychopathology via its impact on anxious/depressive symptoms. Participants were 198 men and 265 women with formally diagnosed and suspected ED, who completed an online survey of standardised scales. Results In men, higher autistic traits were associated with ED psychopathology sequentially via greater alexithymia and through that, greater depressive/anxious symptoms. In women, alexithymia mediated the relationship between autistic traits and ED psychopathology both directly and sequentially through its impact on anxious/depressive symptoms. Interestingly, depressive/anxious symptoms also mediated that relationship independently from alexithymia. Conclusions While cross-sectional, these findings suggest that the relationship between autistic traits and ED symptomatology is mediated by other variables. In support of its proposed role in the aetiology of ED, alexithymia was directly associated with ED symptoms in women. It also affected ED symptoms indirectly, in all participants, via its effect on depressive/anxious symptoms. Interventions focusing on alexithymia may facilitate recovery not only via their effect on ED, but via their effect on other forms of state psychopathology which contribute to the maintenance and development of ED. Sex differences, however, reflect that alternative therapeutic targets for men and women may be beneficial.

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Alexithymia in Eating Disorders: A Narrative Review

2022

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The Role of Alexithymia and Coping Strategies in Eating Disorders: a Pilot Study

Cited by 6 publications

References 27 publications

Autobiographical narratives in relation to affect regulation in an Italian sample of patients in an acute phase of Anorexia Nervosa

Autobiographical narratives in relation to affect regulation in an Italian sample of patients in an acute phase of Anorexia Nervosa

Sex-specific mechanisms for eating disorder risk in men and women with autistic traits: the role of alexithymia

Alexithymia in Eating Disorders: A Narrative Review

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