Intimate Partner Violence and Alexithymia: Do Emotions Matter? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) encompasses physical, sexual, or psychological abuse. Recent evidence suggests that victims and perpetrators might share some common psychological characteristics. Particularly, high levels of alexithymia, a difficulty in identifying and expressing emotions, and an externally oriented thinking style were found in both victims and perpetrators when compared to the general population. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to quantify the levels of alexithymia in victims and perpetrators of IPV and compare these levels to controls. We systematically searched PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, using the following strings: ("intimate partner violence" OR "IPV" OR "partner abuse") AND ("alexithymia" OR "alexithymic"). The inclusion criteria were: adult perpetrators or victims of IPV; with or without a rehabilitation program; having or not a comparison group from the general population; alexithymia as outcome; all types of study design. Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria. Data were meta-analyzed with random-effects models. Results showed comparable levels of alexithymia in victims and perpetrators of IPV (mean = 55.92 vs. 55.15, respectively). Furthermore, we found increased alexithymia in victims (Hedges' g, 0.87 [95% CI 0.43, 1.31]) and perpetrators (Hedges' g, 0.94 [95% CI 0.77, 1.12]) compared to controls. These results highlight that both perpetrators and victims exhibited high levels of alexithymia. A deeper understanding of this psychological dimension can help professionals to plan better-tailored interventions, in which all relevant factors associated with IPV are considered.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: What Differences in Mentalization Abilities? A Scoping Review.

Mentalization is a psychological process that enables individuals to understand the self and others in terms of intentional mental states. The aim of this scoping review was to provide an overview of the findings on mentalization in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). A literature search, in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols extension for Scoping Review guidelines, was conducted in the following bibliographic databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus. Databases were queried using the following strings (with Boolean operators): ("mentaliz*" OR "metacogniti*" OR "theory of mind" OR "ToM" OR "reflective function*") AND ("irritable bowel syndrome" OR "IBS" OR "inflammatory bowel disease" OR "IBD"). In line with the eligibility criteria, seven articles were included. Results showed that no significant differences in metacognitive ability were found between patients in the IBD and IBS groups. This review revealed the mentalizing difficulties for patients with IBD and IBS. These results should be interpreted with caution since they are based on a few studies that used different instruments to assess mentalizing processes. Future studies are needed to clarify the role of mentalization in patients with these gastrointestinal conditions.

Alexithymia and Hypertension: Does Personality Matter? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Personality characteristics, such as alexithymia, may lead to alterations in the autonomic nervous system functionality, predisposing individuals to an increased risk of hypertension (HTN). The present meta-analysis aimed to quantify the presence of alexithymia in people with HTN and to assess for potential sources of heterogeneity between studies. PubMed, PsycINFO and Scopus databases were systematically searched, using the following strings: ("alexithymia" OR "alexithymic") AND ("hypertension" OR "hypertensive"). Data were meta-analyzed with random-effects models. RECENT FINDINGS: A total of 13 studies met the inclusion criteria. The prevalence of alexithymia in people with and without HTN were obtained from 5 studies (26.3% vs 15.0%; pooling of odd ratios, 3.15 [95% CI, 1.14;8.74]), whereas the mean level of alexithymia between people with and without HTN was obtained from 7 studies Hedges g, 1.39 [95% CI, -0.39;3.16]). There was a significant association between alexithymia prevalence and year of article publication (g = -0.04; 95% CI, -0.07;-0.01), whereas no significant relationship was detected between the former and both sex and age. Findings revealed a greater prevalence of alexithymia in people with HTN than in participants without HTN. These findings suggest that alexithymia may contribute to both the onset and persistence of HTN symptomatology. However, future research is needed to clarify this association.

Alexithymia Among People Living with HIV: A Scoping Review.

The present scoping review aimed to identify studies that investigated alexithymia, defined as a difficulty in identifying and describing one's own emotions, in people living with HIV (PLWH).A literature search, in line with the guidelines of PRISMA-ScR, was conducted in the following bibliographic databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. The databases were queried using the following strings (using Boolean operators): ("alexithymia" OR "alexithymic") AND ("HIV" OR "Human Immunodeficiency Virus"). In line with the eligibility criteria, fourteen articles were found.Ten studies showed the involvement of alexithymia in disease severity (e.g., viral load levels), and adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Three studies revealed an association between alexithymia and cardiovascular disease, and three studies highlighted the implication of alexithymia in cognitive impairment.This review revealed the complex role of alexithymia in HIV disease. A careful clinical assessment of the emotional regulation process of PLWH can provide useful prognostic information.

RESUMEN: La presente revisión panorámica está orientada a identificar estudios que han investigado la alexitimia, definida como la dificultad de identificar y describir las propias emociones, en personas que conviven con el VIH.Siguiendo las directrices de PRISMA-ScR, se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica en las siguientes bases de datos: PubMed, PsycINFO y Web of Science. Las bases de datos se consultaron utilizando las siguientes cadenas (utilizando el operador Boolean): ("alexithymia" OR "alexithymic") AND ("HIV" OR "Human Immunodeficiency Virus").De acuerdo con los criterios de elegibilidad, se encontraron catorce artículos. Específicamente, diez estudios mostraron la implicación de la alexitimia en la gravedad de la enfermedad (por ejemplo, niveles de carga viral) y la adherencia a la terapia antirretroviral, tres estudios revelaron la asociación entre la alexitimia y la enfermedad cardiovascular, y tres estudios resaltaron la implicación de la alexitimia en el deterioro cognitivo.Esta revisión reveló el complejo rol de la alexitimia en la enfermedad del VIH. Una evaluación clínica detallada del proceso de regulación emocional de las personas que viven con el VIH puede proporcionar información útil para el pronóstico.

From the First to the Second Wave of COVID-19: Anxiety, De-Pressive, and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms in the Italian Population.

In the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, high rates of clinically relevant anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) have been reported in the Italian population. The persistence of the pandemic and related restrictive measures highlight the need for a reassessment of psychopathological symptoms. The present longitudinal study consisted of two evaluations conducted during the two waves of infection. Participants were asked to complete the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Form Y1 (STAI Y1), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), and the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). There were no significant differences in depressive symptoms and PTSS scores reported by participants between T0 and T1, with single-case analysis revealing that in 71% and 69% of the participants, depressive symptoms and PTSS symptoms, respectively, remained stable during this period. On the contrary, mean scores comparison showed a significant decrease in anxiety levels, with 19% of participants in whom anxiety symptoms improved at single-case analysis. Taken together, these results suggest that depressive symptoms and PTSS not only occurred in a high percentage of participants but also tended to remain stable over time, thus warranting the importance of large-scale psychological screening and interventions to prevent the chronicization of these symptoms and their evolution to psychopathological disorders.

Personality, Defense Mechanisms and Psychological Distress in Women with Fibromyalgia.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that many personality traits are associated with fibromyalgia (FM), worsening both the quality of life and psychological distress of patients. Despite the high comorbidity of psychopathological disorders in this syndrome and their association with immature defense styles, few studies have examined the defense mechanisms used by FM patients. The main aim of our study was to investigate personality traits and defense mechanisms in FM patients compared to in a healthy control group (HC). Moreover, we investigated the effect of personality traits and defense mechanisms on psychological distress in both FM and HC groups. METHODS: A total of 54 women with FM and 54 healthy women completed the (1) Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised; (2) the Toronto Alexithymia Scale; (3) the Defense Style Questionnaire; and (4) the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. RESULTS: The results indicated that FM patients display higher alexithymia, higher harm avoidance, lower self-directedness, lower persistence, and the higher use of a maladaptive defense style compared to HC. We found that alexithymia, harm avoidance, and maladaptive defense style are significant predictors of patients' psychological distress. Moreover, harm avoidance and adaptive defense style significantly predicted psychological distress in the HC group. CONCLUSION: The present study is the first to explore the contribution of both defense mechanisms and personality characteristics on the psychological distress of FM patients. Our findings have important clinical implications and may help diagnose and treat FM patients more in depth.

Psychological Distress among Italian University Students Compared to General Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic induced numerous changes in the daily life of every individual, with important social, economic, and psychological consequences. Particularly, the psychological impact encountered among students might be affected by social isolation, concern for personal health and for the health of family members and friends, and uncertainty about academic progress. The present study aimed to investigate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on Italian university students compared to general workers. The responses of 956 participants (478 university students and 478 workers) were included in the final dataset. Participants were asked to provide sociodemographic and occupation-related information, and to complete: (1) COVID-19-related questions; (2) health-related visual analogue scales; (3) State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Form Y1 (STAI Y1); and (4) the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Results of comparisons between university students and general workers revealed that the former reported higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, regression analyses showed that in university students, gender, health evaluation, and health concern and gender, educational level, and health evaluation significantly predicted anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively. Taken together these findings suggest that specific factors could predispose University students to a high risk of developing mental health symptoms as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Traumatic Stress in Healthcare Workers During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review of the Immediate Impact.

The disease caused by respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) called COVID-19 resulted in a pandemic that has demanded extraordinary physical and mental effort from healthcare workers. This review provides an overview of studies that have explored traumatic stress in healthcare workers and associated factors between January and May 2020. The focus is on the most relevant literature investigating the prevalence of trauma- and stressor-related symptoms. Articles were selected from PubMed and PsycINFO databases using the search terms, "healthcare workers," "COVID-19," and "posttraumatic stress" in different combinations and with various synonyms. Among the seven studies that fulfilled our criteria, five assessed traumatic stress response, one assessed acute stress symptoms, and one focused on vicarious traumatization. Overall, the available findings highlight the presence of trauma-related stress, with a prevalence ranging from 7.4 to 35%, particularly among women, nurses, frontline workers, and in workers who experienced physical symptoms. Future studies should clarify the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of healthcare workers, with particular focus on posttraumatic stress disorder.

Mental health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic represents one of the most stressful events of recent times. Among the population, healthcare professionals who treat COVID-19 patients are most likely to develop psychological distress and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). The present study thus aimed to investigate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on Italian healthcare workers. METHODS: The responses of 145 healthcare workers (72 medical doctors and 73 nurses) were included in the final dataset. Participants were asked to provide sociodemographic and clinical information, and to complete: (a) quality of life and health-related Visual Analogue Scales, (b) State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Form Y1, (c) Beck Depression Inventory, and (d) PTSD Checklist for DSM-5. RESULTS: A comparison between healthcare professionals working in COVID-19 wards and other units revealed that the former reported higher levels of both depressive symptoms and PTSS. Moreover, the results of regression analyses showed that in healthcare professionals working with COVID-19 patients, gender and marital status, and gender and age significantly predicted depressive symptoms and PTSS, respectively. Particularly, being female and not in a relationship were found to be associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms, whereas being female and older were found to be related to higher levels of PTSS. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings suggest that specific predisposing factors could identify healthcare workers who are at high risk of developing mental health symptoms when faced with COVID-19 patients.