Characteristics of alexithymia and eating disorders in college women.

This study examined the relationship between characteristics of alexithymia and eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and obesity) in a nonclinical sample of 308 college women. Scores on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale were mostly unrelated to a weight index, which assessed subjects' deviation from their expected weight, but were correlated with subjects' scores on the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI). EDI scores were related to the affective deficits of alexithymia (difficulty identifying and communicating feelings), but not to the cognitive disturbance associated with alexithymia.