Kosić Radoslav, Petrić Daniela, Vlašić-Cicvarić Inge, Kosec Tanja
Department of Neurology and Child Psychiatry, Clinic for Pediatrics, University Hospital Center Rijeka, Krešimirova 42, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia.
Faculty of Health Studies, University of Rijeka, V.C. Emina 5, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia.
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Feb 10;13(4):373. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13040373.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Alexithymia is a condition marked by difficulties in identifying and expressing emotions, rooted in both physiological and behavioral mechanisms. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between parental alexithymia and family functioning in families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) compared to families of typically developing children (TD).
The study sample included parents of children with ASD ( = 120) and a control group of parents of typically developing children ( = 120). A comprehensive set of self-report instruments was used to evaluate alexithymia levels, parental stress, family experience, resilience, cognitive emotion regulation, social support, and family flexibility and cohesion.
The analysis revealed that parental alexithymia in families of children with ASD was directly associated with lower levels of family flexibility and cohesion, independent of increased stress or reduced family resilience. Furthermore, the findings indicate that alexithymia in parents is directly linked to reduced family cohesion in ASD families.
These results highlight the significant role of parental alexithymia in shaping family dynamics and underscore the necessity for targeted interventions that emphasize emotional skill-building, adaptive coping mechanisms, and resilience to stressful events. This research enhances the understanding of parental alexithymia's effect on family functioning in the context of ASD.
背景/目的：述情障碍是一种在识别和表达情感方面存在困难的状况，其根源在于生理和行为机制。本研究的目的是调查与发育正常儿童（TD）的家庭相比，自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童家庭中父母述情障碍与家庭功能之间的关系。
研究样本包括ASD儿童的父母（n = 120）和发育正常儿童父母的对照组（n = 120）。使用一套全面的自我报告工具来评估述情障碍水平、父母压力、家庭体验、复原力、认知情绪调节、社会支持以及家庭灵活性和凝聚力。
分析表明，ASD儿童家庭中父母的述情障碍与较低的家庭灵活性和凝聚力直接相关，与压力增加或家庭复原力降低无关。此外，研究结果表明父母的述情障碍与ASD家庭中家庭凝聚力的降低直接相关。
这些结果凸显了父母述情障碍在塑造家庭动态方面的重要作用，并强调了有针对性干预措施的必要性，这些措施强调情感技能培养、适应性应对机制以及对压力事件的复原力。本研究增进了对父母述情障碍在ASD背景下对家庭功能影响的理解。
