Relationships between the emotional and cognitive components of alexithymia and dependency in alcoholics.

Several authors have shown that alexithymia, emotional and perceptual dependency characterize patients suffering from substance abuse. The aim of the study is to test the hypothesis that the emotional and cognitive components of alexithymia are associated with dependency in alcoholics. Three groups were investigated: 60 inpatients meeting the DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence, 57 healthy subjects, 144 university students. All subjects completed the following rating scales: The 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Interpersonal Dependency Inventory (IDI), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Embedded Figures Test (EFT). Partial correlations, using the BDI score as constant, were calculated. In normal subjects, the 'Emotion' subscale of the TAS-20 correlated with the 'Lack of social self-confidence' subscale of the IDI and the 'Cognitive' subscale of the TAS-20 did not correlate with the EFT score. In alcoholics, the 'Cognitive' subscale of the TAS-20 correlated with the 'Lack of social self-confidence' subscale, with the EFT score and with the 'Affirmation of autonomy' subscale. A particular cognitive style characterized by externally oriented thinking, affirmation of autonomy as denial of emotional dependency and field dependence could characterize alcoholics.

[Comparative study of the relationship between alexithymia and affective dependence on 60 alcoholics and 57 control subjects]. / Relations entre alexithymie et dépendence affective etude comparative de 60 patients alcooliques et de 57 sujets contrôles.

UNLABELLED: Several authors have shown that alexithymia characterizes patients suffering from substance abuses. Moreover emotional and perceptual dependencies have also been described in these disorders. The aim of this study is to test two hypotheses: First that the emotional components of alexithymia and dependency were linked in alcoholics and secondly that the cognitive components of these two dimensions were also linked in these subjects. Two groups were recruited: 60 inpatients filled out the DSM IV criteria for alcohol dependence and 57 healthy subjects were the controls. All the subjects completed the following rating scales: the twenty items Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Interpersonal Dependency Inventory (IDI), the Beck Depression Inventory, the Embedded Figures Test (EFT). Partial correlations (r Bravais Pearson), using BDI score as constant, were calculated. In normals the Feelings subscale of the TAS-20 correlated with the Lack of social self confidence subscale of the IDI (r = 0.43, p < 0.0018) and in alcoholics the Cognitive factor of the TAS-20 correlated with the Lack of social self confidence subscale (r = 0.41, p < 0.0018). Moreover in alcoholics, the cognitive factor of the TAS-20 correlated significantly with the EFT score (r = -0.35, p < 0.003). CONCLUSION: In alcoholics the cognitive component of alexithymia and the perceptual component of dependency were linked, independently of an associated depression. A particular cognitive style characterized by externality and field dependence could characterized dependent alcoholics.

Is alexithymia a negative factor for maintaining abstinence? A follow-up study.

The prevalence of alexithymia in 46 inpatients with alcohol abuse or dependence was 67.4%. Pretreatment characteristics predicting outcome at 15 months were determined. At the 15-month time point, 67.4% of patients met criteria for abuse or alcohol dependence and 32.6% were abstinent. In patients who relapsed, the total score for the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the score for the TAS-20-feelings factor were significantly higher than in subjects who were abstinent, even when depressive symptoms were taken into account. Stepwise multiple linear regression showed that the TAS-20-feelings factor significantly predicted abstinence. The results may suggest that alexithymia predicted poor outcome in alcoholic inpatients.

[External validity, reliability and basic score determination of the Toronto Alexithymia Scales (TAS and TAS-20) in a group of alcoholic patients]. / Etude de la validité externe, de la fidélité et détermination des notes seuils des échelles d'alexithymie de Toronto (TAS et TAS-20) chez un groupe de malades alcooliques.

The criterion validity of the Toronto Alexithymia Scales (TAS and TAS-20) was assessed by administering the scales to 47 alcoholic inpatients. The 47 subjects were inpatients meeting the Research Diagnostic Criteria for alcoholism. The subjects were assessed by two raters using the Beth Israël Questionnaire in the first week following their hospitalization. They filled out the TAS and one week later the TAS-20. Among the 47 alcoholics, 31 were alexithymic and 16 were non-alexithymic. The TAS and the TAS-20 scores of the alexithymics were significantly higher than that of the non alexithymics. The mean (sd) of the TAS in the alexithymics and the non alexithymics were respectively (m = 76.13, sd = 9.56; m = 64.2, sd = 13.88; t = 3.38, df = 45, p = 0.0015). The mean (sd) of the TAS-20 in the alexithymics and the non alexithymics were respectively (m = 54.1, sd = 8.81; m = 43.18, sd = 11.5; t = 3.62, df = 45, p = 0.0007). The one-week test-retest was r = 0.17, p < 0.001. On the basis of these findings, TAS and TAS-20 cutoff scores were suggested. A range of potential cutoff scores around the mean TAS or TAS-20 score were tested using four methods to assess the goodness of a diagnostic test (sensitivity, specificity, Younden's coefficient, positive predictive value). The best scores that maximizes the diagnostic validity of the TAS and TAS-20 in identifying alexithymic subjects were respectively 73 and 56. On the basis of the mean TAS and TAS-20 score for the non alexithymic group and the means that we have obtained with normal groups, scores of 64 and 44 were respectively selected as the cutoff level for the identification of non alexithymic subjects.

Factor analysis of the French version of the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20).

A French version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 Items (TAS-20) was factor-analyzed on a sample of 263 university students and its factor solution analyzed along with the studies using the Canadian version. Our results show a two-factor solution where the items rating the difficulty to identify feelings and the items rating the difficulty to describe feelings constitute a sole factor contrary to the Canadian version. These data are reviewed in the context of previous research and offer two subscales for future investigations utilizing the TAS-20.

[Prevalence of alexithymia in a general population. Study in 183 "normal" subjects and in 263 students]. / Prévalence de l'alexithymie en population générale. Etude chez 183 sujets "tout venant" et chez 263 étudiants.

The prevalence of alexithymia has been studied in two groups of healthy subjects, 183 normals and 263 university students. In the normal group the alexithymia was rated using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) and in the student group the alexithymia was rated using the revised version of the TAS (Twenty-items TAS or TAS-20). Using our cutoff scores (> or = 73 for the TAS, > or = 56 for the TAS-20), the prevalence in the normal group and the student group were respectively 23% and 17.1%.