title: The relationship of alexithymia to emotional dysregulation within an alcohol dependent treatment sample.
abstract: Difficulties regulating emotions have implications for the development, maintenance, and recovery from alcohol problems. One construct thought to impede the regulation of emotion is alexithymia. Alexithymia is characterized by difficulties identifying, differentiating and expressing feelings, a limited imagination and fantasy life, and an externally-oriented thinking style (e.g., prefer talking about daily activities rather than feelings). Given that poor emotion regulation skills have been found to predict posttreatment levels of alcohol use, and that several defining characteristics of alexithymia bear similarity to deficits in emotion regulation skills, it is possible that alexithymia may predict poorer alcohol treatment outcomes. Thus, the present study first examined the relationship of alexithymia to several other emotion regulation measures and then investigated the impact of alexithymia on attrition and alcohol treatment outcomes in men and women (N=77) enrolled in a 12-week cognitive-behavioral intervention for alcohol dependence. At baseline, higher scores on alexithymia were associated poorer emotion regulation skills, fewer percent days abstinent, greater alcohol dependence severity, and several high-risk drinking situations. Alexithymia was unrelated to attrition and to level of alcohol consumption at posttreatment. Overall, the construct of alexithymia is shown to be related to several theoretically-related constructs (e.g., emotion regulation, mindfulness) but demonstrated a limited relationship to drinking outcomes in those seeking treatment for alcohol dependence.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, 1021 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14203, United States. stasiewi@ria.buffalo.edu
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Stasiewicz
authors.forename: Clara M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Bradizza
authors.forename: Gregory D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Gudleski
authors.forename: Scott F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Coffey
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Schlauch
authors.forename: Sydney T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: Christopher W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Bole
authors.forename: Suzy Bird
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Gulliver
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome