title: Alexithymia is common among adolescents with severe disruptive behavior.
abstract: This study aimed to examine alexithymic features and associations between alexithymia and psychiatric symptoms among adolescents living in a closed institution because of severe behavioral problems. Forty-seven adolescents (29 boys and 18 girls) aged 15 to 18 years completed the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) Questionnaire and the Youth Self-Report, whereas their foster parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist. The TAS-20 scores of the participants were compared with those of an extensive population sample (N = 6000) matched by age and birth year. Reform school adolescents are significantly more alexithymic than the control group, and the TAS-20 scores are correlated with numerous psychiatric problems, mainly in the internalizing spectrum, but also with thought problems and self-reported aggression. Promoting abilities in identifying and describing feelings is important when treating delinquent adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland. marko.manninen@thl.fi
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manninen
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Therman
authors.forename: Jaana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suvisaari
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ebeling
authors.forename: Irma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Moilanen
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huttunen
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Joukamaa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D057189:Checklist; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires