Open AccessLongitudinal study of alexithymia and multiple sclerosis
Author(s) -
Chahraoui Khadija,
Duchene Céline,
Rollot Fabien,
Bonin Bernard,
Moreau Thibault
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
brain and behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 41
ISSN - 2162-3279
DOI - 10.1002/brb3.194
Subject(s) - alexithymia , multiple sclerosis , longitudinal study , psychology , medicine , physical medicine and rehabilitation , cardiology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , pathology
Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the course of alexithymia and its relation with anxiety and depression in patients with multiple sclerosis ( MS ), over a period of 5 years. Methods Sixty‐two MS patients were examined at two timepoints, 5 years apart, and they answered questionnaires collecting socio‐demographic, medical, and psychological data (depression, anxiety, alexithymia). Results Our data show that emotional disorders remain stable over time in patients with MS , particularly as regards alexithymia and anxiety. Conversely, the rate of depression decreased between the two evaluations, falling from 40% to 26%. The two dimensions of alexithymia (i.e., difficulty describing and difficulty identifying feelings) were correlated with anxiety and depression, whereas the third component of alexithymia (externally oriented thinking) was independent, and was the only component to change over time, with a significant fall observed at 5 years. Conclusion Alexithymia was associated with increased severity of anxiety and attack relapses.