title: Difficulty describing feelings and post-traumatic symptoms after a collective trauma in survivors of L'Aquila earthquake.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The association between alexithymia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms has been demonstrated in several studies, but never in victims of a collective trauma such as a natural disaster, which has an impact on an entire community.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim was to assess the relationship between alexithymia and post-traumatic symptoms in a group of people who lived in L'Aquila exposed to the earthquake that hit the town in 2009.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-seven participants were included and assessed for alexithymia, PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety, and psychiatric symptoms. Linear regression models were used to test the hypothesis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The main finding was an association between "Difficulty-Describing-Feelings" and the intensity of post-traumatic symptoms in the worst month after trauma. Depression, anxiety and psychiatric comorbidity also showed a significant association with PTSD symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the present study of a collectively shared trauma, the alexithymic factor "difficulty-describing-feelings" was significantly associated with the intensity of post-traumatic symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Imaging, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, D'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara , Chieti , Italy .
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Giacinto
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cieri
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cinosi
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Massaro
authors.forename: Viviana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Angelini
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pasquini
authors.forename: Liborio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Stuppia
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: di Giannantonio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000368:Aged; D004190:Disasters; D055866:Earthquakes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alexithymia; collective trauma; difficulty describing feelings; post-traumatic stress