• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.203-212
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• 1999

Objectives : "Alexithymia" mean literally "no word for mood(or emotion)". It is not only a marked constriction in emotional functioning but a deficit in their cognitive processing. We designed this study to investigate the level of alexithymia, psychopathology and personality factors of patients with somatoform disorder and with diabetes mellitus. Methods : The subjects were consisted of patients with somatoform disorder(N=20), patients with diabetes mellitus(N=20), and normal control(N=20). The level of alexithymia, psychopathology and personality factors were assessed by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale(TAS), the Symptom Checklist 90-Revision(SCL 90-R), and the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire(16-PF). And we compared demographic characteristics, psychopathology and personality factors among three groups, and assessed the relationship between alexithymia and psychopathology, and between alexithymia and personality factors. Results : The results were as follows. 1) Patients with somatoform disorder showed significantly higher TAS scores compared to patients with diabetes mellitus and the normal control group. 2) Patients With somatoform disorder showed significantly higher scores of somatization, anxiety scales than patients with diabetes mellitus and the normal control group, and showed significantly higher scores of obsessive-compulsive, depression, phobic anxiety, psychoticism scales than the normal control group by the SCL-90-R. 3) The normal control group showed high intelligence scores only as compared to patients with somatoform disorder by the 16-PF. 4) A significant relationship was found between TAS scores and psychopathology in patients with somatoform disorder. 5) All three groups did not shown any correlation between TAS and 16-PF. Conclusion : Patients with somatoform disorder showed higher TAS scores and more multiple psychopathology than patients with diabetes mellitus and the normal controls. A significant relationship was found between TAS scores and psychopathology in patients with somatoform disorder. We suggest that the therapeutic approach to patients with somatoform disorder to express emotions and manage psychopathology, and that the treatment methods of patients with diabetes mellitus aims to improve firstly physical conditions are more helpful.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.69-79
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• 1994

The authors investigated the relationship between the response to the external stimulation and ability of verbal behavior in the patients with somatoform disorder who have pain. The subjects consisted of 34 patients(male 10, female 24) and 37 normal controls(male 19, female 18). Pressure pain thesholds were measured by algometer and alexithymia was assessed by Toronto Alexithymia Scale(TAS). Somatization Scale of SCL-90R and Parental Bonding Instrument were also used. It was shown that 82.4% of the patients had chronic somatic complaints. The mean values of TAS, degree of somatic symptoms and pressure pain thresholds were significantly higher in the patient group than in the normal controls. 44.1% of the patients was considered alexithymia group and there was no correlation between scores of alexithymia and value of pressure pain thresholds. In conclusion, the patients with somatoform disorder who had pain were dull in pain perception to external physical stimulation. This result suggested that their low perception of pain could be closely related with chronicity of illness. And the Poverty of verbal expression of inner emotion was suggested to be one of the factors affecting somatization and difficulty in psychotherapy.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.147-158
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• 1995

This paper describes the development of Korean version of two widely used self-report measure of alexithymia-Schalling-Sifneos Personality Scale (SSPS) and Toronto Alexithymia Scale(TAS), and present the preliminary results of their reliability and validity tested to an Korean college student sample(N=206). TAS showed moderate to acceptable internal consistancy with 0.26 of mean item-total correlation and 0.754 of Cronbach's alpha coefficient, while those parameters for SSPS turned out inconsistent. However, results of test-retest reliability for both scale were excellent. Factor analysis revealed tow factors for TAS and three factors for SSPS ; the four-factor structure of TAS was quite congruent with previously known alexithymaia construct, while, again, SSPS showed intermixed factor structure. TAS scores correlated fairly well with somatization scores enough to get concurrent validity while SSPS scores did not. Overall, Korean version of TAS demonstrated well matched findings in terms of internal consistency and factorial validity with original and Spanish version of TAS. The results suggest that Korean version of TAS could be a useful and reliable tool for the measurement in Korean population.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.115-132
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• 2023

Previous studies on emotion have repeatedly suggested that alexithymia is an important predictor of depression. Therefore, this study examined whether the relationship between these two variables can be moderated by personality factors, focusing on the Big five personality traits. An online survey of 312 college students, including alexithymia, depression, and Big five personality traits (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Openness to Experience) was conducted. As the results, as expected, alexithymia predicted depression, which was in line with the existing research flow. In addition, moderation analysis revealed that agreeableness, emotional stability, and openness to experience moderated the relationship between alexithymia and depression, while extraversion and conscientiousness did not. This study has an important implication in that it discriminated which specific personality traits function as moderators in the process of increasing depression due to alexithymia.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.47-55
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• 2004

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate alexithymia, depressive symptoms, and stress response of patients with alcohol dependence. The results were taken as a basic data of ameliorating the quality of life. Methods: 94 patients with alcohol dependence completed stress response inventory, Korea depression scale, and toronto alexithymia scale successfully. Results: 55% of variance of alexithymia of patients with alcohol dependence were explained by the stress response and depressive symptoms and score of ADS, and the stress response had the most explanatory power. Conclusions: The alexithymia of patients with alcohol dependence may be influenced by depressive symptoms, education, frequency of drinking, and stress response. The specialists were identifying symptoms of depression and optimizing the management, therefore increasing the compliance and quality of life of patients with alcohol dependence.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.54-60
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• 2016

Alexithymia is characterized by difficulties identifying and describing feelings, impoverished fantasy life, and concrete and poorly introspective thinking. Alexithymic patients have been reported to show a stable deficit with regard to processing and regulating emotions. Eating disorders are characterized by a persistent disturbance of eating or eating-related behavior that significantly impairs physical health or psychosocial functioning. Like alexithymic patients, patients with eating disorders show the impaired capacity to process and regulate emotions. There is a robust body of literature showing patients with eating disorders are more alexithymic than healthy controls. Specifically, patients with eating disorders experience difficulties identifying and describing emotions. Childhood maltreatment can increase the risk for depression and alexithymia, which can in turn lead to disordered eating symptoms. Also, higher levels of alexithymia are correlated with a less favorable clinical outcome in patients with eating disorder. Therefore, treatments to help processing and regulating emotions of eating disorder patients with pronounced alexithymic traits may seem to lead to a higher possibility of recovery.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.108-115
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• 2006

Objectives : Objectives of this study was to explore the relationships between anger, alexithymia and premenstrual syndrome(PMS). Methods The subjects included 125 women with PMS and 58 women with non-PMS assessed by Daily record of Severity of Problems(DRSP) and Shortened Premestrual Assessment Form(SPAE). Anger level was assessed by anger expression scale. The level of alexithymia was assessed by Toronto alexithymia scale. We compared the scores of anger, alexithymia between PMS group and no-PMS group. Results : The mean scores of anger in(p=0.04), anger total(p=0.01) were significantly higher in women with PMS compared to control subjects. and the mean scores of alexithymia(p=0.04) were also significantly higher in women with PMS compared to control subjects. Conclusions : This study showed that the level of anger and alexithymia could be higher in women with PMS compared to control subjects, and that symptoms of PMS could be associated with anger and alexithymia. therefore, It would be better to consider the level of anger and alexithymia in treating and evaluating women with PMS.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.32-40
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• 2005

Objectives : This study looked at the symptoms of alexithymia in schizophrenia and their association with clinical variables and schizophrenic symptomatology. Methods Consecutive fifty eight inpatients with DSM-IV diagnoses of schizophrenia completed 26item version of Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), Symptom Checklist-90-Revised(SCL-90-R), and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS). Results : Authors did not find any correlation between scores of PANSS and TAS. However, all the subscale scores of SCL-90-R were significantly correlated with total score of TAS. Also, 'difficulty identifying and deistinguishing between feelings and bodily sensations' and 'difficulty describing feelings' significantly correlated with SCL-90-R subscale scores. 'Reduced daydreaming' had mixed findings and 'externally oriented thinking' did not correlate. Multiple regression model included Global Severity Index of SCL-90-R accounting 28.2% of variance for TAS scores. Conclusion : These findings together with discrepancy in results between objective and subjective tests suggest that alexithymia in schizophrenia may have two constructs, 'difficulty to describe and communicate feelings(state)' and 'externally oriented thinking(trait)' Authors suggest further study needs to confirm construct validity of TAS in this population.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.149-154
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• 2015

Objective : The aim of the study was to investigate the difference in alexithymia between anxiety disorder and depressive disorder. The second was to evaluate the effect of alexithymia on quality of life in patients with anxiety disorder and depressive disorder. Methods : A total of 175 patients with diagnoses of anxiety disorder or depressive disorder were recruited. Demographic, psychosocial, and clinical data were analyzed, as well as results on the 20-item Toronto alexithymia Scale (TAS-20K), the Symptom Checklist-90-Re-vised (SCL-90-R), a quality of life scale, the Beck Depression scale, and Beck Anxiety Inventory. Results : As compared with the patients with anxiety disorder, patients with depressive disorder showed significantly higher total score on the TAS-20K and for factor 1 (difficulties identifying feelings) and factor 2 (difficulties describing feeling) scales of the TAS-20K and showed significantly lower scores of psychosocial well-being on the quality of life scale. Total scores on the TAS-20K correlated significantly with scores for some subscale on the quality of life scale. Conclusion : This study suggest that patients with depressive disorder had more alexithymic symptoms and worse quality of life compared with those with anxiety disorder. Also, alexithymic symptoms are found to be associated with quality of life. Therefore, clinicians should try to focus on relieving symptoms to help patients restore their psychological well-being and improve their quality of life.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.10 no.8
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• pp.249-256
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• 2012

This study explored the relation of health habit, stress and alexithymia in high school students. The subjects were 1,201 high school students. Collected data was analyzed by using the SPSS 17.0 program for descriptive statistics, ${\chi}^2$ -test, unpaired t-test. In results, exercise were significantly different according to health habit between the gastrointestinal symptoms and had no gastrointestinal symptoms. For the relation among the health habit, stress and alexithymia between the gastrointestinal symptoms and had no gastrointestinal symptoms were significantly different on stress and alexithymia. Therefore, the high schools should evaluate the students'health habit and stress due to the gastrointestinal symptoms. Schools should develop the health promotion program and operate it. And also train the students about communication method to help them recognizing their own feeling and express it, and also give them opportunity.