Research Spotlight: Alexithymia
Staying current with psychological research and best practice is essential for delivering effective care. Our ‘Research Spotlight’ articles offer clear summaries of recent studies, helping you stay informed.
This edition focuses on alexithymia, which is characterized by a difficulty in recognizing and articulating feelings.
Early Maladaptive Schemas, Emotion Regulation Difficulties and Alexithymia
How do early experiences shape the ability to navigate emotions? This meta-analysis explores the relationship between early maladaptive schemas (EMS), emotion regulation difficulties, and alexithymia. It reveals that certain EMS, notably those relating to attachment and autonomy, strongly influence challenges in understanding and modulating emotions. The findings suggest that targeting the childhood memories underpinning these schemas might be helpful, such as through imagery rescripting.
“The findings suggest that emotion regulation problems and alexithymia are prominent in individuals who hold disproportionate expectations that their needs for safety, predictability, acceptance and secure attachment will not be met. A pessimistic orientation, encompassing a perception that the world and what happens in the world is uncontrollable, and inevitably bad, plays an important role in difficulties regulating affective experience. The results have important implications for future efforts seeking to bridge emotion-focused and cognitive therapeutic approaches.”
Pilkington, P. D., Karantzas, G. C., Faustino, B., & Pizarro‐Campagna, E. (2023). Early maladaptive schemas, emotion regulation difficulties and alexithymia: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy.
Alexithymia profiles and depression, anxiety, and stress
This study explores the relationship between alexithymia and emotional disorders, offering valuable insights for therapists. The research illuminates how difficulties in identifying and describing feelings – alongside externally oriented thinking – are intertwined with depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. The findings highlight the importance of using nuanced alexithymia evaluations to inform effective interventions for emotional disorders, as well as the benefits of prioritizing interventions that target both negative and positive emotion processing deficits.
“Our results suggest that in cases of heightened depression, anxiety, and stress, a focus on alexithymia could form an important part of the treatment protocol. Treatment protocols ideally should be prepared to address deficits in both the capacity to focus attention on emotions… and the capacity to accurately identify and describe emotions.”
Preece, D. A., Mehta, A., Petrova, K., Sikka, P., Pemberton, E., & Gross, J. J. (2024). Alexithymia profiles and depression, anxiety, and stress. Journal of Affective Disorders, 357, 116-125.
