Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Semmelweisstr, 10, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
BMC Psychiatry. 2023 Sep 21;23(1):688. doi: 10.1186/s12888-023-05191-z.
Alexithymia refers to a multidimensional personality trait with the facets difficulties identifying feelings (DIF), difficulties describing feelings (DDF), and externally orientated thinking (EOT). Alexithymia is a risk factor for mental and somatic disorders. Previous research with patients suffering from various disorders showed positive relationships between alexithymia and interpersonal problems. Only one study analyzed the link between alexithymic features and interpersonal difficulties in healthy individuals but yielded inconclusive findings because participants' negative affects were not controlled. A widely accepted conceptualization of interpersonal problems relies on the interpersonal circumplex, which is defined by two orthogonal dimensions, agency and communion. In the present study, we analyzed which facets of alexithymia are associated with the two interpersonal problem dimensions and the global severity of interpersonal distress, after adjusting for negative affect.
Two-hundred healthy young individuals (100 women) participated in the study. Alexithymic features were assessed using the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Interpersonal problems were measured with the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-D). Participants' state and trait anxiety, depressive symptoms, and verbal intelligence were also assessed.
All alexithymia scales were positively correlated with general interpersonal distress. Regression results suggested that the TAS-20 subscale DIF was the primary predictor of general interpersonal distress after controlling for negative affectivity. The scale DDF correlated negatively with the IIP-D dimension agency. According to our regression analysis, DDF was a predictor of (low) agency controlling for negative affects. Moreover, DDF correlated negatively with the IIP-D dimension communion. Our regression results indicate that DDF was a predictor of (low) communion independent of negative affect. Correlations between alexithymia facets and IIP-D subscales did not differ between genders.
Difficulties identifying feelings seem to be linked to a high level of general interpersonal distress. Difficulties in recognizing one's feelings may disrupt emotion regulation, which could heighten the general risk of interpersonal problems. Difficulties describing feelings could be a central factor contributing to interpersonal problems related to low communion as well as low agency, since emotion expression and communication are crucial in establishing experiences of social closeness and directing other people's behavior.
述情障碍是一种多维人格特质，包括难以识别情绪（DIF）、难以描述情绪（DDF）和外向思维（EOT）。述情障碍是精神和躯体障碍的一个风险因素。先前对患有各种障碍的患者进行的研究表明，述情障碍与人际关系问题之间存在正相关关系。只有一项研究分析了健康个体中述情特征与人际关系困难之间的联系，但由于未控制参与者的负面情绪，研究结果尚无定论。人际关系问题的一个广泛接受的概念依赖于人际双相情感，它由两个正交维度，即能动性和交际性定义。在本研究中，我们在调整了负面情绪后，分析了述情障碍的哪些方面与人际问题的两个维度以及人际困扰的总体严重程度有关。
200 名健康的年轻个体（100 名女性）参与了研究。使用 20 项多伦多述情障碍量表（TAS-20）评估述情障碍特征。人际关系问题用人际关系问题清单（IIP-D）进行测量。还评估了参与者的状态和特质焦虑、抑郁症状和言语智力。
所有述情障碍量表均与一般人际困扰呈正相关。回归结果表明，在控制负面情感后，TAS-20 子量表 DIF 是一般人际困扰的主要预测因素。量表 DDF 与 IIP-D 维度能动性呈负相关。根据我们的回归分析，在控制负面情绪后，DDF 是能动性（低）的预测因素。此外，DDF 与 IIP-D 维度交际性呈负相关。我们的回归结果表明，DDF 是独立于负面情绪的交际性（低）的预测因素。述情障碍特征与 IIP-D 分量表之间的相关性在性别之间没有差异。
难以识别情绪似乎与高水平的一般人际困扰有关。难以识别自己的情绪可能会破坏情绪调节，从而增加人际关系问题的总体风险。难以描述情绪可能是导致与低交际性以及低能动性相关的人际关系问题的一个核心因素，因为情绪表达和交流对于建立社交亲密感和指导他人行为至关重要。
