title: Abnormalities in Automatic Processing of Illness-Related Stimuli in Self-Rated Alexithymia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate abnormalities in automatic information processing related to self- and observer-rated alexithymia, especially with regard to somatization, controlling for confounding variables such as depression and affect.
  
  
  METHODS
  89 healthy subjects (60% female), aged 19-71 years (M = 32.1). 58 subjects were additionally rated by an observer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Alexithymia (self-rating: TAS-20, observer rating: OAS); automatic information processing (priming task including verbal [illness-related, negative, positive, neutral] and facial [negative, positive, neutral] stimuli); somatoform symptoms (SOMS-7T); confounders: depression (BDI), affect (PANAS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher self-reported alexithymia scores were associated with lower reaction times for negative (r = .19, p < .10) and positive (r = .26, p < .05) verbal primes when the target was illness-related. Self-reported alexithymia was correlated with number (r = .42, p < .01) and intensity of current somatoform symptoms (r = .36, p < .01), but unrelated to observer-rated alexithymia (r = .11, p = .42).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results indicate a faster allocation of attentional resources away from task-irrelevant information towards illness-related stimuli in alexithymia. Considering the close relationship between alexithymia and somatization, these findings are compatible with the theoretical view that alexithymics focus strongly on bodily sensations of emotional arousal. A single observer rating (OAS) does not seem to be an adequate alexithymia-measure in community samples.
authors.affiliation: Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brandt
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Nina M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Pintzinger
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Ulrich S
authors.initials: US
authors.lastname: Tran
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests; D057566:Self Report; D055815:Young Adult