Huang Cui, Yuan Qiuyu, Shi Shengya, Ge Menglin, Sheng Xuanlian, Yang Meng, Zhang Ling, Wang Lei, Zhang Kai, Zhou Xiaoqin
School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, 69 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui Province, China.
Department of Psychiatry, Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 64 North Chaohu Road, Chaohu City, Hefei, 238000, China.
BMC Psychiatry. 2022 Apr 19;22(1):276. doi: 10.1186/s12888-022-03897-0.
Alexithymia, which is characterized by difficulty identifying and describing feelings, is a stable personality trait and it has been associated with early life experiences. Methamphetamine dependence patients with high level of alexithymia may be particularly vulnerable to engaging in more frequent methamphetamine use. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate whether alexithymia was associated with frequency of methamphetamine use. Additionally, the current study sought to examine early-life factors associated with the development of alexithymia, i.e., parental rearing styles.
Participants were 108 non-injecting methamphetamine dependent patients from a male compulsory detoxification center. The level of alexithymia was assessed by Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20(TAS-20). In addition, we applied Egna Minneu av. Bardndosnauppforstran (EMBU) to assess the parental rearing styles, including the dimensions of warmth, rejection, punishment/strictness, overinvolvement, overprotection, and favoring.
The total score of TAS-20 was positively correlated with frequency of methamphetamine use (r = 0.26, p < 0.01). Specifically, except for externally oriented thinking, difficulty identifying feelings (r = 0.23, p < 0.05) and difficulty describing feelings (r = 0.25, p < 0.05) were positively correlated with frequency of methamphetamine use. Multiple linear regression showed that more maternal rejection (B = 0.59, p = 0.002), or less maternal warmth (B = -0.22, p = 0.004) was associated with higher levels of alexithymia. Ordinal logistic regression showed that for every 1 score increase in the total score of TAS-20, there was a 1.06 times risk of a one level increase in the level of methamphetamine use frequency (OR = 1.06, p = 0.01).
These results have major implications for understanding the role of alexithymia in craving and addiction, while providing a further and explicit entry point for addiction treatment. Moreover, more attention should be focused on parenting in relation to early experiences.
述情障碍的特征是难以识别和描述情感，它是一种稳定的人格特质，且与早期生活经历有关。述情障碍水平高的甲基苯丙胺依赖患者可能特别容易更频繁地使用甲基苯丙胺。因此，我们旨在评估述情障碍是否与甲基苯丙胺使用频率相关。此外，本研究试图探究与述情障碍发展相关的早期生活因素，即父母的养育方式。
研究对象为来自一家男性强制戒毒中心的108名非注射吸毒的甲基苯丙胺依赖患者。采用多伦多述情障碍量表20（TAS-20）评估述情障碍水平。此外，我们应用父母教养方式问卷（EMBU）评估父母的养育方式，包括温暖、拒绝、惩罚/严厉、过度卷入、过度保护和偏爱等维度。
TAS-20总分与甲基苯丙胺使用频率呈正相关（r = 0.26，p < 0.01）。具体而言，除了外向性思维外，难以识别情感（r = 0.23，p < 0.05）和难以描述情感（r = 0.25，p < 0.05）与甲基苯丙胺使用频率呈正相关。多元线性回归显示，母亲更多的拒绝（B = 0.59，p = 0.002）或更少的温暖（B = -0.22，p = 0.004）与更高的述情障碍水平相关。有序逻辑回归显示，TAS-20总分每增加1分，甲基苯丙胺使用频率水平升高一级的风险增加1.06倍（OR = 1.06，p = 0.01）。
这些结果对于理解述情障碍在渴望和成瘾中的作用具有重要意义，同时为成瘾治疗提供了一个进一步且明确的切入点。此外，应更多关注与早期经历相关的养育方式。
