title: A family history of alcoholism relates to alexithymia in substance use disorder patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Previous research identified alexithymia as a potential risk factor for substance use disorders (SUD). More insight into the relation between alexithymia and SUD is needed in order to treat SUD effectively. Therefore, we investigated whether a familial vulnerability to alcoholism relates to the presence and severity of alexithymia in SUD patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hospitalized, abstinent SUD-patients (n=187), were assessed with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and Addiction Severity Index (EuropASI). A maternal, paternal, and total continuous measure of the Family History of Alcohol (FHA) was developed. Kruskal-Wallis tests and Spearman correlations were used to relate the composite scores of FHA to alexithymia as a categorical and continuous measure. Multivariate regression models were performed to control for the effects of confounders on the relation between FHA and alexithymia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to moderate (33%) and low (17%) alexithymic SUD-patients, high alexithymic (50%) patients were more likely to have fathers with alcohol problems (P=0.004). Such a difference was not found for mothers with alcohol problems. The composite FHA-score was significantly associated with alexithymia (Rs=.19, P=0.01). However, only a paternal FHA, independent from disturbed family functioning, related to the degree of alexithymia (β=.13, P=0.06), especially to the Difficulty Identifying Feelings as measured by the TAS-20 (β=.16, P=0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The relation between a paternal FHA and a higher degree of alexithymia in SUD-patients suggests that alexithymia could mediate the familiality of alcoholism or SUD in the paternal line.
authors: Tactus Addiction Treatment, 7400 AD Deventer, the Netherlands; Nijmegen Institute for Scientist-Practitioners in Addiction, 6500 HE Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Electronic address: h.dehaan@tactus.nl.
authors: Hein A
authors: HA
authors: de Haan
authors: Evelien A G
authors: EA
authors: Joosten
authors: Lydia
authors: L
authors: de Haan
authors: Arnt F A
authors: AF
authors: Schellekens
authors: Jan K
authors: JK
authors: Buitelaar
authors: Job
authors: J
authors: van der Palen
authors: Cor A J
authors: CA
authors: De Jong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology