title: Alexithymia, empathy, emotion identification and social inference in anorexia nervosa: A case-control study.
abstract: Alexithymia, difficulties in facial emotion recognition, poor socio-relational skills are typical of anorexia nervosa (AN). We assessed patients with AN and healthy controls (HCs) with mixed stimuli: questionnaires (Toronto Alexithymia Scale-TAS, Interpersonal Reactivity Index-IRI), photographs (Facial Emotion Identification Test-FEIT) and dynamic images (The Awareness of Social Inference Test-TASIT). TAS and IRI Personal Distress (PD) were higher in AN than HCs. Few or no differences emerged at the FEIT and TASIT, respectively. Larger effect sizes were found for the TAS results. Despite higher levels of alexithymia, patients with AN seem to properly acknowledge others' emotions while being inhibited in the expression of their own.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli n° 17, 28100 Novara, Italy.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gramaglia
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli n° 17, 28100 Novara, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ressico
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli n° 17, 28100 Novara, Italy.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gambaro
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli n° 17, 28100 Novara, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palazzolo
authors.affiliation: Casa di Cura San Giorgio, Viverone, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazzarino
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Paediatric Sciences, Università degli Studi di Torino, via Santena 5/bis, 10126 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bert
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Paediatric Sciences, Università degli Studi di Torino, via Santena 5/bis, 10126 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Siliquini
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli n° 17, 28100 Novara, Italy; AOU Maggiore della Carità, Corso Mazzini n° 18, 28100, Novara, Italy. Electronic address: patrizia.zeppegno@med.uniupo.it.
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zeppegno
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D001364:Awareness; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004644:Emotions; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
keywords: Alexithymia; Anorexia nervosa; Emotion identification; Empathy; Social inference