Alexithymia, absorption, and cognitive failures in depersonalization disorder: a comparison to posttraumatic stress disorder and healthy volunteers.
Alexithymia, absorption, and cognitive failures are traits that have been implicated in dissociative psychopathology. Forty-six participants with depersonalization disorder (DPD), 21 with posttraumatic stress disorder, and 35 healthy controls completed measures of dissociation, alexithymia, absorption, cognitive failures, and childhood trauma. The DPD and posttraumatic stress disorder groups had significantly and comparably elevated absorption and cognitive failures scores. Only the DPD group had significantly elevated alexithymia scores, specifically in "difficulty identifying feelings." Regression analyses revealed that "alexithymia-difficulty identifying feelings" was predictive of both DPD diagnosis and depersonalization scores. In contrast, amnesia scores were predicted by childhood trauma and absorption. In conclusion, the link between depersonalization and alexithymia appeared to be specific rather than broadly related to early trauma or to trauma-spectrum psychopathology.
Simeon
Daphne
D
Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA. DSimeon@chpnet.org
Giesbrecht
Timo
T
Knutelska
Margaret
M
Smith
Rebecca Jo
RJ
Smith
Lisa M
LM
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D017668:Age of Onset; D002648:Child; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003861:Depersonalization / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology