title: Alexithymia, craving and attachment in a heavy drinking population.
abstract: Up to fifty per cent of individuals with Alcohol use disorders (AUD) also have alexithymia a personality construct hypothesized to be related to attachment difficulties. The relationship between alexithymia, craving, anxious attachment and alcohol-dependence severity was examined in 254 patients participating in a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) program for alcohol-dependence. Participants completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS), the Revised Adult Attachment Anxiety Subscale (RAAS-Anxiety) and the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). MANOVA indicated that individuals with alexithymia reported significantly higher levels of total OCDS, obsessive thoughts about alcohol, and compulsive drinking urges and behavior, compared to the non-alexithymic group. Regression analyses found that anxious attachment partially mediated the relationship between alexithymia and craving. Anxious attachment may be a potential treatment target to reduce alcohol consumption in those with alcohol-dependence and alexithymia.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059 Australia. f.thorberg@qut.edu.au
authors.forename: Fred Arne
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Thorberg
authors.forename: Ross McD
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Karen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lyvers
authors.forename: Jason P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Connor
authors.forename: Gerald F X
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Feeney
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003192:Compulsive Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009770:Obsessive Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012044:Regression Analysis