Direct and indirect effects of the temperament and character on alexithymia: a pathway analysis with mood and anxiety.
OBJECTIVE
We aimed to assess the pathway from personality to alexithymia through mood and anxiety as mediators.


METHODS
Three hundred thirty-four subjects (130 male), whose psychiatric health was verified by Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Axis I disorders, completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), the Temperament and Character Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (CES-D). The schematic models for the pathway analysis from Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) to TAS-20 scores were made.


RESULTS
Low reward dependence (RD), low self-directedness (S-D), and high cooperativeness (CO) had paths to TAS-20 total (P = .000, P = .000, and P = .042, respectively). S-D had also an indirect path via STAI-state to TAS total. On TAS-20 factor 1, low RD, low S-D, and high self-transcendence (ST) had direct effects (P = .004, P = .000, and P = .000, respectively). S-D had also an indirect path via STAI-state and (CES-D) on TAS-20 factor 1. On TAS factor 2, low novelty seeking (NS), high harm avoidance (HA), low RD, low S-D, and high cooperativeness (CO) had direct effects (P = .005, P = .011, P = .000, P = .000, and P = .004, respectively). On TAS-20 factor 3, low RD and S-D had direct effects (P = .002 and P = .000, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Current results suggest that although alexithymia is affected by the personality, state-dependent mood and anxiety may mediate the relationship between alexithymia and personality.
Department of Psychiatry, Gachon University of Medicine and Science, 405-760, Incheon, South Korea.
Yu Jin
YJ
Lee
Seung-Hee
SH
Yu
Seong-Jin
SJ
Cho
In Hee
IH
Cho
Seung-Hee
SH
Koh
Seog Ju
SJ
Kim
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D002605:Character; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013694:Temperament