The level of alexithymia in alcohol-dependent patients does not influence outcomes after inpatient treatment
Publication year
2012Author(s)
Number of pages
6 p.
Source
American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 38, 4, (2012), pp. 299-304ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

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Organization
FSW_Academisch centrum
SW OZ BSI KLP
Journal title
American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Volume
vol. 38
Issue
iss. 4
Languages used
English (eng)
Page start
p. 299
Page end
p. 304
Subject
Experimental Psychopathology and TreatmentAbstract
Background: The inability of individuals with Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD) to recognize and describe their feelings and cravings may be due to alexithymia. Previous researches have shown evidence for a negative influence of alexithymia on treatment outcomes in patients with AUD. Therefore, it was hypothesized that high alexithymic patients with AUD would benefit less from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) compared with low alexithymic patients. Methods: One hundred alcohol-dependent inpatients (DSM IV) were assessed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for psychiatric disorders, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and the European Addiction Severity Index (EuropASI). Baseline alexithymia, as a categorical and continuous variable, was used to compare or relate baseline demographic and addiction characteristics, time in treatment, abstinence, and differences in addiction severity at 1-year follow-up. Analyses were performed using chi(2) test, analysis of variance or Kruskal-Wallis, paired t-tests or Wilcoxon's signed rank tests, multivariate logistic, and linear regression models, as appropriate. Results: The prevalence of high alexithymia (TAS-20 > 61) was 45%. The total TAS-20 score correlated negatively with years of education (r = -.21; p = .04) and positively with the psychiatry domain of the EuropASI (r = .23; p = .04). Alexithymia showed no relation to abstinence, time in treatment, or change in severity of alcohol-related problems on the EuropASI. Conclusion: High alexithymic patients with AUD do benefit equally from inpatient CBT-like treatment as low alexithymic patients with AUD. Scientific significance: Multimethod alexithymia assessments with an observer scale have been advised to judge the relationship with resulting outcome in CBT.
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- Academic publications [203686]
- Faculty of Social Sciences [27291]
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