The role of alexithymia in social cognition: Evidence from a non-clinical population

Tella, Marialaura Di; Adenzato, Mauro; Catmur, Caroline; Miti, Francesca; Castelli, Lorys; Ardito, Rita B.

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.05.012

Cited by 38 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 89 publications

(108 reference statements)

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“…Alexithymia (from Greek a: loss, lexis: word, thymia: mood or emotion) is a personality construct characterized at an intrapersonal level by an impairment in identifying feelings, inability to find appropriate words to describe them, restricted imagination with a lack of fantasy and heightened preoccupation with the external details of events (Sifneos 1973;Lumley et al 2007;Lane et al 2015;Di Tella and Castelli 2016;Keefer et al 2019;Di Tella et al 2020). Described initially in patients with classic psychosomatic diseases (Sifneos 1973), substance abuse and posttraumatic stress (Lumley et al 2007;Keefer et al 2019), alexithymia has subsequently been characterized as a major risk factor for depression and anxiety (Lumley et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between alexithymia, sensory phenotype and neurophysiological parameters in patients with chronic upper limb neuropathy

et al. 2020

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In this study, we investigated the relationship between sensory abnormalities evaluated by quantitative sensory testing (QST) and alexithymia, depression and anxiety in patients with neuropathic pain involving the upper limbs. We enrolled 62 patients (34 with carpal tunnel syndrome, 7 with brachial plexopathy, 3 with cervical painful radiculopathy, 5 with ulnar entrapment neuropathy at elbow and 13 with post-burn hypertrophic scars) and 48 healthy controls. All underwent nerve conduction studies (NCS), evaluation of cold, heat pain and vibration detection threshold (VDT) by QST and evaluation of alexithymia by Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), depression by Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), anxiety by State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y), level of psychological distress by 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and perceived social support by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). The general linear model analysis revealed a significant relationship between TAS-20 overall and TAS-20 sub-score for difficulty identifying feelings and VDT z-scores in the left index with no interaction by year of education and sensory NCS results. Our results demonstrated the association between impairment of vibratory sensation of the left hand, reflecting cutaneous mechanoceptor dysfunction, and alexithymia, particularly the difficulty to identify feelings. The importance of delivering to patients with neuropathic pain personalized care that takes into account not only the neurophysiological aspects but also the aspects of mental functioning is discussed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between alexithymia, sensory phenotype and neurophysiological parameters in patients with chronic upper limb neuropathy

et al. 2020

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“…These sensory processing differences present both as responses to environmental stimuli (e.g., visual, tactile, auditory, gustatory, olfactory, vestibular, proprioceptive) and internal sensations, (interoception-perception of hunger, thirst, pain, etc.). Interoceptive processing and sensory processing differences have both been indicated as risk factors for dysregulation and increased anxiety (Di Tella et al, 2020;Morie et al, 2019;Trevisan et al, 2019). In fact, elevated cortisol levels have been associated with increased sensory sensitivity (Corbett et al, 2009).…”

Section: Differences In Sensory Processing and Physiological Differencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leveling Up Regulatory Support Through Community Collaboration

Laurent¹,

Fede

2021

Perspect ASHA SIGs

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Purpose No group has more stake in the game than the community that researchers, educators, and practitioners aim to serve. In our field, we must recognize not only that autistic people are those most affected by decisions around programming and policies, but that they are key informants in decisions around the conceptualization, implementation, and evaluation of educational programming for autistic learners. Too often, they are left out of these discussions altogether. To illustrate the process of community collaboration, we discuss emotional and energy regulation (ER), a top priority among autistic people based upon their viewpoints. Method In this clinical focus article, we outline what emotional regulation is, why it is relevant and often challenging for the autistic population, the shortcomings of current practice, as well as practical strategies and ways of thinking about supporting ER for autistic learners. We provide theoretical insights as well as firsthand accounts from a diverse group of autistic people. Each autistic person contributing their perspective in this clinical focus article provided written consent for their participation, as well as direction as to how they wanted to be cited and acknowledged. Quotes were gathered from personal communications, social media posts, and online sources. The clinical viewpoint and materials and tools presented throughout the clinical focus article are the works of the authors that have been informed by the autistic community. Results Based upon the qualitative data presented in this clinical focus article, incorporating the autistic community voice when devising tools and strategies is validating of their experiences and generates useful supports. Conclusions Using a framework similar to the one presented here for engaging the autistic community will help to facilitate the conceptualization of more reliable, valid, and effective supports, goal-setting, and programming overall. Future directions related to the value of empirical study of the tools and strategies developed through such a process are offered.

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“…This understanding is particularly relevant for research on alexithymia, a personality trait which is characterized by a deficit in the cognitive interpretation of emotional arousal (Lopez-Munoz & Perez-Fernandez, 2019 ; Taylor et al, 2016 ), and therefore, impacts emotional experience. Originally defined as “absence of words for feelings” (Sifneos, 1973 ), this trait refers to a phenomenon characterized by difficulty in identifying one’s own and others’ feelings—in particular, negative emotions (Scarpazza et al, 2018 ; Sifneos, 1973 ; Starita et al, 2018 ; Taylor et al, 1991 )—, difficulty in processing emotions (Nam et al, 2020 ), flattened affect and emotional unawareness (Sifneos, 1973 ; Taylor et al, 1991 ), low empathy (Alkan Hartwig et al, 2020 ; Moriguchi et al, 2007 ; Valdespino et al, 2017 ) and difficulties in social cognition (Di Tella et al, 2020 ; Lane et al, 2015 ; Moriguchi et al, 2006 ; Ospina et al, 2019 ; Scarpazza & Di Pellegrino, 2018 ). In other words, alexithymia would have prevented the Little Prince to express his emotions so vividly.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disentangling interoceptive abilities in alexithymia

Scarpazza

Zangrossi

Huang

et al. 2021

Psychological Research

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In recent years, research on interoceptive abilities (i.e., sensibility, accuracy, and awareness) and their associations with emotional experience has flourished. Yet interoceptive abilities in alexithymia—a personality trait characterized by a difficulty in the cognitive interpretation of emotional arousal, which impacts emotional experience—remain under-investigated, thereby limiting a full understanding of subjective emotional experience processing. Research has proposed two contrasting explanations thus far: in one model, the dimensions of interoceptive sensibility and accuracy in alexithymia would increase; in the other model, they would decrease. Surprisingly, the contribution of interoceptive awareness has been minimally researched. In this study (N = 182), the relationship between participants’ level of alexithymia and the three interoceptive dimensions was tested. Our results show that the higher the level of alexithymia is, the higher interoceptive accuracy and sensibility (R2 = 0.29 and R2 = 0.14); conversely, the higher the level of alexithymia is, the lower interoceptive awareness (R2 = 0.36). Moreover, an ROC analysis reveals that interoceptive awareness is the most accurate predictor of alexithymia, yielding over 92% accuracy. Collectively, these results support a coherent understanding of interoceptive abilities in alexithymia, whereby the dissociation of interoceptive accuracy and awareness may explain the underlying psycho-physiological mechanisms of alexithymia. A possible neurocognitive mechanism is discussed which suggests insurgence of psychosomatic disorders in alexithymia and related psychotherapeutic approaches.

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The role of alexithymia in social cognition: Evidence from a non-clinical population

Cited by 38 publications

References 89 publications

The relationship between alexithymia, sensory phenotype and neurophysiological parameters in patients with chronic upper limb neuropathy

The relationship between alexithymia, sensory phenotype and neurophysiological parameters in patients with chronic upper limb neuropathy

Leveling Up Regulatory Support Through Community Collaboration

Disentangling interoceptive abilities in alexithymia

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