Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal.
Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal.
Psychiatry Res. 2015 Jan 30;225(1-2):99-107. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2014.10.023. Epub 2014 Nov 6.
The role of depression in the expression of alexithymia in anorexia nervosa (AN) has been controversially explained and several variables that may mask or increase the presence of emotional difficulties have scant examination in previous studies. This study aims to analyze the associations between alexithymia and state variables, such as age, BMI, illness duration, treatment duration, and medication status in AN participants, and to test the mediating role of depression in emotional difficulties. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale were administrated to 160 females: 80 participants with AN and 80 healthy controls. High levels of alexithymia were not a function of state variables. The mediating role of depression differed by the alexithymia dimension, with total mediation found for the TAS-DDF and partial mediation found for the TAS-DIF. Alexithymia is a relevant feature throughout the spectrum of AN and does not seem to be related to developmental maturation and some clinical features. Depression is probably the variable that best accounts for the variance in alexithymia, but is not a complete explanation for the known cognitive-affective disturbances in AN. Specific emotional competencies require scrutiny during psychiatric treatment.
抑郁在厌食症（AN）中表现出的述情障碍中的作用一直存在争议，并且以前的研究很少检查可能掩盖或增加情绪困难存在的几个变量。本研究旨在分析述情障碍与状态变量之间的相关性，例如 AN 参与者的年龄、BMI、疾病持续时间、治疗持续时间和用药状态，并检验抑郁在情绪困难中的中介作用。多伦多述情障碍量表（TAS-20）和 Zung 自评抑郁量表被用于 160 名女性：80 名 AN 患者和 80 名健康对照组。高述情障碍水平不是状态变量的函数。抑郁的中介作用因述情障碍维度而异，TAS-DDF 存在完全中介，TAS-DIF 存在部分中介。述情障碍是 AN 谱系中一个相关特征，似乎与发育成熟和一些临床特征无关。抑郁可能是最能解释述情障碍差异的变量，但不能完全解释 AN 中已知的认知-情感障碍。在精神科治疗期间，需要仔细检查特定的情绪能力。
