@article{ref1,
title="Alexithymia and childhood abuse among patients attending primary and psychiatric care: results of the RADEP Study",
journal="Psychosomatics",
year="2008",
author="Joukamaa, M. and Luutonen, Sinikka and von Reventlow, Heinrich Graf and Patterson, Philip and Karlsson, Hasse and Salokangas, Raimo K. R.",
volume="49",
number="4",
pages="317-325",
abstract="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.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0033-3182",
doi="10.1176/appi.psy.49.4.317",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1176/appi.psy.49.4.317"
}