TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2024//
TI  - Alexithymia as a mediator between adverse childhood events and the development of psychopathology: a meta-analysis
JO  - Frontiers in psychiatry
A1  - Kick, Lorenz
A1  - Schleicher, Daniel
A1  - Ecker, Angelika
A1  - Kandsperger, Stephanie
A1  - Brunner, Romuald
A1  - Jarvers, Irina
SP  - e1412229
EP  - e1412229
VL  - 15
IS  - 
N2  - INTRODUCTION: Victims of child abuse have an elevated risk of developing mental health issues later in life. Several variables have been suggested as mediators of this correlation, but little is known about the possible influence of alexithymia. Alexithymia is a sub-clinical personality trait that manifests as difficulties recognizing and verbalizing emotions. <br><br>METHODS: In this study, two separate meta-analyses were conducted using questionnaire data, and Pearson correlations for overall effects were estimated. <br><br>RESULTS: The correlation between child abuse and alexithymia showed to be significant (r =.26), as did the correlation between alexithymia and general psychopathology (r =.44). Further analyses revealed no indication for possible publication bias. When investigating differences between various subtypes of child maltreatment, each subtype significantly correlated with alexithymia. Emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and physical neglect had stronger correlations than physical and sexual abuse. <br><br>DISCUSSION: These results suggest that alexithymia plays a mediating role, at least in part, in the relationship between experiences of child abuse and general psychopathology in adulthood. Therefore, alexithymia may be relevant to further research and deserves attention in the prevention of and therapy for mental health issues in victims of child abuse.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1664-0640
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1412229
ID  - ref1
ER  -