TY - JOUR
T1 - Body talk
T2 - Sex differences in the influence of alexithymia on physical complaints among psychiatric outpatients
AU - Ogrodniczuk, John S.
AU - Kealy, David
AU - Joyce, Anthony S.
AU - Abbass, Allan A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2018/3
Y1 - 2018/3
N2 - This study investigated the relationship between alexithymia and physical complaints among psychiatric outpatients, and whether sex moderated this relationship. Participants (N = 185) completed measures of physical complaints (bodily symptom burden, pain severity, pain interference), alexithymia, current symptom (depression, anxiety) distress, and somatosensory amplification (i.e., a person's tendency to be bothered by physical sensations). Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted, controlling for the influence of current psychiatric symptom distress and somatosensory amplification. Findings revealed differential relationships between alexithymia and physical complaints (pain interference) for women and men, in addition to main effects for sex and alexithymia. The findings suggest that the negative influence of alexithymia on bodily-related problems may not be universal.
AB - This study investigated the relationship between alexithymia and physical complaints among psychiatric outpatients, and whether sex moderated this relationship. Participants (N = 185) completed measures of physical complaints (bodily symptom burden, pain severity, pain interference), alexithymia, current symptom (depression, anxiety) distress, and somatosensory amplification (i.e., a person's tendency to be bothered by physical sensations). Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted, controlling for the influence of current psychiatric symptom distress and somatosensory amplification. Findings revealed differential relationships between alexithymia and physical complaints (pain interference) for women and men, in addition to main effects for sex and alexithymia. The findings suggest that the negative influence of alexithymia on bodily-related problems may not be universal.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.12.072
DO - 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.12.072
M3 - Article
C2 - 29309955
AN - SCOPUS:85040087723
SN - 0165-1781
VL - 261
SP - 168
EP - 172
JO - Psychiatry Research
JF - Psychiatry Research
ER -
