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Alexithymia and interpersonal problems
Author(s) -
Vanheule Stijn,
Desmet Mattias,
Meganck Reitske,
Bogaerts Stefan
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.20324
Subject(s) - alexithymia , psychology , psychoanalytic theory , interpersonal communication , interpersonal relationship , clinical psychology , mental health , relevance (law) , psychotherapist , developmental psychology , social psychology , political science , law
This study examines whether alexithymia relates to specific interpersonal problems, based on data collected in a sample of mental health outpatients ( N = 404) and a student sample ( N = 157). Linear regression analysis, in which the effects of group, gender, and age were controlled, indicated that two interpersonal problems were significantly and reliably related to alexithymia: cold/distant and nonassertive social functioning. The theoretical relevance of the results for attachment and psychoanalytic theory is indicated, as well as implications of the findings for clinical practice. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 63: 109–117, 2007.