title: Alexithymia and adult attachment representations: associations with the five-factor model of personality and perceived relationship adjustment.
abstract: Several studies have demonstrated associations between alexithymia, adult attachment styles, personality traits, and relationship adjustment. Only two studies, however, have explored associations between alexithymia and attachment representations. As part of a larger investigation of maternal and infant attachment, the current study explored this association in a sample of 97 pregnant women; in addition, measures of alexithymia and domains of the five-factor model (FFM) of personality were compared in predicting attachment security, assessed with the Adult Attachment Interview Coherence of Mind mind scale, and perceived relationship adjustment. Alexithymia negatively predicted coherence of mind; the domains of the FFM did not add significantly to the prediction. The Openness-to-Experience domain predicted relationship adjustment better than alexithymia. Contrary to findings from studies that assessed adult attachment styles, coherence of mind was unrelated to relationship adjustment and the FFM. The results suggest that alexithymia does not uniquely predict relationship adjustment beyond the domains of the FFM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto and Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: graeme.taylor@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Graeme J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Toronto, and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: rmichael.bagby@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: R Michael
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Bagby
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: s.kushner@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Shauna C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kushner
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto and Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: diane.benoit@sickkids.ca.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Benoit
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: atkinson@psych.ryerson.ca.
authors.forename: Leslie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Atkinson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009769:Object Attachment; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*