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Alexithymia and Childhood Abuse Among Patients Attending Primary and Psychiatric Care: Results of the RADEP Study

Received September 11, 2006; revised January 5, 2007; accepted January 11, 2007. From the University of Tampere, Tampere School of Public Health; Tampere University Hospital, Psychiatric Department; Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Psychiatric Clinic, Turku University Central Hospital, Turku, Finland; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany; School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Turku Psychiatric Clinic, Turku, Finland. Send correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Matti Joukamaa, Tampere School of Public Health, University of Tampere, FIN-33014., e-mail: matti.joukamaa{at}uta.fi
©2008 The Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine

BACKGROUND: Some authors have suggested that the background of alexithymia is related to affective development during early childhood. OBJECTIVE: Authors studied the associations between alexithymia and childhood emotional neglect and sexual and physical abuse, also taking into account the significance of concomitant psychopathology. METHOD: Associations between childhood difficulties and adulthood alexithymia were studied with samples of primary-care (N=1,033) and mental-health center (N=243) outpatients assessed by The Toronto Alexithymia Scale and questionnaires for depressive, manic, and psychotic symptoms, and childhood difficulties. RESULTS: No association between alexithymia and childhood abuse was found in mental-health center patients. Among primary-care patients, alexithymia total score and difficulty in identifying feelings and difficulty in describing feelings were associated with childhood emotional, sexual, and physical abuse. CONCLUSION: After controlling for psychopathology, there still remained an association with difficulty in identifying feelings and most abuse and neglect variables. These findings serve to strengthen the theory of alexithymia as a developmental process starting in childhood.

Key Words: Alexithymia • Childhood Abuse • Primary Care

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