Alexithymia—state or trait? One-year follow- up study of general hospital psychiatric consultation out-patients

We carried out a 1-year follow-up study on 54 out of 80 general hospital psychiatric consultation out-patients. Alexithymic features were measured by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), and self- reported psychological distress with the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Men were more alexithymic and d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of psychosomatic research 1994-10, Vol.38 (7), p.681-685
Main Authors: Salminen, Jouko K., Saarijärvi, Simo, Ääirelä, Erkki, Tamminen, Tuula
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Affective Symptoms - diagnosis
Affective Symptoms - psychology
Age of Onset
Alexithymia
Ambulatory Care
Biological and medical sciences
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Followup studies
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Psychiatric units
Psychoanalytic Therapy
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Referral and Consultation
Sex Factors
Somatoform disorders. Psychosomatics
Treatment
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Summary:We carried out a 1-year follow-up study on 54 out of 80 general hospital psychiatric consultation out-patients. Alexithymic features were measured by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), and self- reported psychological distress with the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Men were more alexithymic and distressed than women both at the baseline and at the follow-up evaluations. The degree of alexithymia in both genders remained consistent, whereas psychological distress decreased significantly in both genders during the follow-up period. Therefore we conclude that alexithymia presents a constant trait in psychiatric consultation out-patients.
ISSN:0022-3999
1879-1360
DOI:10.1016/0022-3999(94)90020-5