Alexithymia in the Narratization of Romantic Relationships: The Mediating Role of Fear of Intimacy.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to verify the hypothesis concerning the relationship between alexithymia and selected indicators used to describe emotional events, specifically romantic relationships. Alexithymia, due to significant distortions in cognitive processing of emotional content, is demonstrated by poor recognition of emotions in oneself and others and, as a result, by deficits in empathy, avoidance of social relationships, and deficits in the ability to mentalize. Differences in narrations were tested by alexithymia levels (high vs. low) and the relation between specific narration features and individual alexithymia factors, i.e., difficulties in identifying emotions, difficulties in verbalising emotions, and externally oriented thinking. METHOD: A total of 356 people who had been in a romantic relationship for at least six months participated in the study. The TAS-20 was applied to measure alexithymia, and the FIS questionnaire was used to investigate anxiety in close relationships. Participants were asked to freely describe the romantic relationship they were in at that moment. The Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWCLIWC2015 v1.6-unlimited duration academic licence) software was used for content analysis. The study was conducted online. RESULTS: On the basis of the analyses conducted, high levels of alexithymia were found to be significantly associated with a lower total number of words used in narrative, a lower number relating to positive emotions, a lower number relating to causation and insight, and a higher number relating to negative emotions. Various results were obtained for individual dimensions of alexithymia in relation to the LIWC categories and the mediating role of fear of intimacy. For the difficulty identifying feelings (DIF), a significant mediating effect was observed only for words associated with negative emotions, whereas for the difficulty describing feelings (DDF), significant mediating effects were found for words relating to negative emotions and causality. In the case of externally oriented thinking (EOT), significant mediating effects were obtained for all analysed categories from LIWC.

Alexithymia and Adult Attachment: Investigating the Mediating Role of Fear of Intimacy and Negative Mood Regulation Expectancies.

Literature suggests an association between alexithymia and insecure adult attachment, but the mediation factors involved in this relationship are under-investigated. The study was carried out to test the possible mediation roles of the fear of intimacy and negative mood regulation expectancies in explaining this relationship. A convenience sample of 258 Polish adults (mean age: 30; 45% male), completed self-reporting measures related to adult attachment (RAAS), alexithymia (TAS-20), fear of intimacy (FIS) and negative mood regulation expectancies (NMRE). The results showed that alexithymia directly and indirectly predicts insecure adult attachment. Alexithymia positively predicts the fear of intimacy, which, in turn, positively predicts insecure adult attachment. Finally, alexithymia negatively predicts NMRE which, in turn, predict insecure adult attachment. It emerges from our data that the fear of intimacy and NMRE may be mediating factors in the relationship between alexithymia and adult attachment. Limitations, future directions of research and guidance for intervention are discussed.

Psychometric Properties and Configural Invariance of the Polish - Language Version of the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale in Non-clinical and Alcohol Addict Persons.

AIM: The development and assessment of the psychometric properties of the Polish-language version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (Bagby et al., 1994a, b) is described in this article. The aim of this study was to translate the TAS - 20 into Polish and establish the psychometric properties of this instrument evaluating alexithymia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected via self-report measures from a total sample of 676 participants: a total of 180 participants (115 males and 65 females) diagnosed with alcohol dependence, and 496 control group (347 males and 149 females). RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analyses found the factor structure of the original English-language TAS 20 for the three subscales translated into Polish: Difficulty in Identifying Feeling (DIF); Difficulty in Describing Feeling (DDF); Externally Oriented Thinking (EOT). All three subscales showed good internal consistency in non-clinical group and two subscales, DIF and DDF in alcohol addict group. Several EOT items loaded poorly on their intended factor. CONCLUSION: The results from the present study indicate that the Polish version of the TAS - 20 is a reliable and valid measure of alexithymia with good levels of internal consistency, homogeneity, and construct validity. We conclude that the TAS-20 has, for the most part, adequate psychometric properties, though interpretation should focus only on the total scale score and DIF and DDF subscales, especially in clinical groups.

The Role in Road Traffic Accident and Anxiety as Moderators Attention Biases in Modified Emotional Stroop Test.

INTRODUCTION: According to the World Health Organisation, road accidents will be the most common cause of premature death by 2020. According to research, one in every five victims of accidents suffers from acute stress disorder and one in every four suffers from psychological problems up to 1 year after the event, including post-traumatic stress disorder. It was assumed that one of the mechanisms responsible for maintaining excessive arousal or anxiety is a dysfunction in cognitive processes occurring under the guise of selective attention disorders or a deficit in executive control. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research encompassed 157 individuals (a group of victims and perpetrators N = 90; M = 34.1, SD = 10.77; control group N = 67; M = 34.20, SD = 11.16). The participants, tested after road traffic accidents, were patients of Traumatology and Orthopedic wards in Warsaw who had been involved in a road traffic accident up to a month prior to the research. The state of their physical injuries and administered drugs were monitored so that this did not interfere with the tests the participants undertook on computer. In each situation, the decision was made by the doctor responsible for the patient in the hospital ward. The control group comprised people who drive regularly and in 5 years had not been involved in any road traffic incidents. The participants from both groups completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaire on anxiety as a state and as a trait, as well as a modified computerized emotional Stroop test. This new version of the test enables a study of the process of the depth of coding of the stimuli associated with trauma. RESULTS: The hypotheses were tested with the use of a series of correlation analyses, regression analyses with a stepwise method of entering predictors into the model, and mediation analyses with the use of the A. F. Hayes PROCESS macro. Differences were observed in the declarative level of anxiety as a state and the size of the interference effect depending on the person's status in the accident. It was discovered that in the group of perpetrators, the longer the interference effect, the lower the declared level of anxiety as a state and they were significantly worse at remembering the stimuli associated with trauma. CONCLUSION: Anxiety symptoms in victims and perpetrators of road traffic accidents measured by self-report questionnaires are consistent only among victims. In the case of perpetrators, an accurate measure of disorders is a study with the use of methods enabling the tracking of the functioning of unconscious processes.

Attachment Style, Early Childhood Trauma, Alexithymia, and Dissociation Among Persons Addicted to Alcohol: Structural Equation Model of Dependencies.

AIM: Attachment theory is a broadly used paradigm for understanding human affective development. It is recognized that alexithymia is a key factor responsible for the non-adaptive strategies of regulating emotions in people addicted to alcohol. In addition, an important role is attributed to early childhood trauma and dissociation. The theoretical model was examined, in which connections between attachment styles, trauma, and alexithymia and dissociation were investigated in persons addicted to alcohol. METHODS: The total number of study participants amounted to 268 persons, including 116 women (43% of all subjects) and 152 men (57% of all subjects) at the age of 18-73 (M = 39.19; SD = 13.45). In order to measure the analyzed variables, the following questionnaires were applied: Michigan alcoholism screening test (MAST), attachment styles questionnaire (ASQ), 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), traumatic experiences checklist (TEC), and curious experiences survey (CES). RESULTS: A comparative analysis between the group of alcohol addicts and non-addicts showed statistically significant differences related to attachment style, intensity of trauma, alexithymia, and dissociation. With structural equation models (i.e., AMOS and GLS), the adjustment of theoretical model to data was examined, which allowed the description of dependency paths. As a result of the conducted analysis of paths, it was found out that the model was accurately fitted to data, but only when an impact path related to a direct connection between an attachment style and an addiction was deleted. This impact is indirect, and from one side, it results from affective and cognitive deficits, i.e., alexithymia, and on the other side, from the intensity of traumatic experiences. No direct impact of dissociation on the development of an inclination to addiction was found, if contextual variables, i.e., alexithymia and trauma, are taken into account. The strongest direct relation was proven in the case of the anxious-ambivalent attachment style and alexithymia (ß = 0.389; p < 0.01) and avoidant attachment style and alexithymia (ß = 0.497; p < 0.01), which turned out a strong predictor fostering the development of alexithymia and the occurrence of traumas related to emotional negligence and mental violence and finally addiction. CONCLUSION: Our studies revealed how important it is to investigate the role of individual variables in the context of developmental models. An extremely important element of the scientific achievement presented here is showing pillars of trauma, alexithymia, and dissociation in their cumulative impact on the development of emotional disorders resulting in addiction.

Relationship Between Attachment Style in Adulthood, Alexithymia, and Dissociation in Alcohol Use Disorder Inpatients. Mediational Model.

Background: Attachment theory is a widely used framework for understanding emotion regulation as well as alexithymia, and dissociation and this perspective has also been applied to understand alcohol use disorders. Apart from these theoretical suggestions, there has been scarce empirical research on this subject-matter. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to investigate potential associations between attachment style in adulthood, alexithymia, and dissociation in alcohol use disorder inpatients. Methods: The Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), and the Curious Experiences Survey (CES) were administered to a sample of 97 alcohol use disorder inpatients recruited from drug and alcohol treatment centers in Warsaw, and 104 persons in control groups, Poland. Results: A comparative analysis between the group of alcohol addicts and non-addicts showed statistically significant differences related to: alexithymia, dissociation, and attachment styles. The analysis of models related to the impact of attachment styles on the level of alcohol addiction with regard to a mediatory role of alexithymia and dissociation showed that all models are well fitted to data and statistically significant: intimacy F(3.197) = 34.41; p < 0.001 and explains 34% (R 2 = 0.3438); depend F(3.197) = 36.55; p < 0.001, and explains 36% (R 2 = 0.3576); anxiety F(3.197) = 34.71; p < 0.001, and explains 35% (R 2 = 0.3458) of the variability of alcohol addiction scores. Mediation analysis found that alexithymia and dissociation enhance the fear of intimacy and rejection in a romantic relationship. Conclusion: These findings support the broad attachment theory suggesting that attachment is associated with and predicts alexithymia and dissociation in the sample of substance use disorder inpatients. Alexithymia and dissociation, by inhibiting the processes of emotions' identification and verbalization, cause that language does not serve for the purpose of changing self or others, as the communication is distorted. Absent are common meanings and accurate mutual understanding in a relationship.

[Effect of post-traumatic disorders of the victims and causes of traffic accidents in the early stages of treatment]. / Wplyw zaburzen pourazowych na ofiary i sprawców wypadków komunikacy]nych we wczesnym okresie leczenia.

UNLABELLED: Poland is a country in which every year there is a lot of motor vehicle accidents, number of victims is one of the highest in European union. Helping patients after motor vehicle accidents should base on cooperation of doctors and psychologists because holistic approach to patient enables rapid and effective rehabilitation. THE AIM OF STUDY: To show connection between physical damage cause in motor vehicle accident with mental trauma, which increase on process of full recovery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: There were 31 victims who were involved in motor vehicle accidents not more than one month ago. In the second group there were people who was never involved in motor vehicle accident. The procedure consisted on filling demographic questionnaire, state traite anxety inventory and aqute stress disorder questionnare. In the second part of the research was to accomplish the emotional Stroop task, which based on selecting the name of the color of a word, which was on the screen. There were two types of the words: negative related to motor vehicle accident and neutral. RESULTS: Participants from the research group had higher level of anxiety than participants from control group and they had significantly longer reaction time in particular on words associated to accident, which could be the signal of problems with cognitive processes because of the anxiety. Furthermore participants with head injuries and upper limbs (whitout dominant limb) have had longer reaction times in Stroop test than participants with leg injuries, it indicating on higher level of anxiety and feeling of insecurity. CONCLUSIONS: It should be noted that looking on a character an range of a injuries, role that participant attend in accident (victims have more emotional disturbance), because it could determinate rate of recovery and the way communication with the patient.