Premium
Alexithymia in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients
Author(s) -
Barbosa Filipe,
Mota Catarina,
Alves Miguel,
Alcântara Cristina,
Rossiñol Bartolomeu,
Patrício Patrícia,
Barbosa António,
Ferreira Carlos
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04640.x
Subject(s) - alexithymia , toronto alexithymia scale , psychopathology , medicine , depression (economics) , clinical psychology , quality of life (healthcare) , population , personality , hospital anxiety and depression scale , systemic lupus erythematosus , anxiety , psychiatry , psychology , disease , social psychology , nursing , environmental health , economics , macroeconomics
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of alexithymic characteristics in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), comparing them with a population of healthy subjects. Fifty‐three SLE patients [American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria] and 31 healthy volunteer subjects were administered validated scales for alexithymia (Toronto alexythimia scale‐20), psychopathology (brief symptom inventory; hospital anxiety and depression scale), personality dimensions (NEO five‐factor inventory), and quality of life (short form‐36 health survey). The SLE patient's clinical and laboratory evaluations were performed by computerized indicators of activity (SLE disease activity index), of accumulated damage (Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology damage index), length of disease, and therapy. A high prevalence of alexithymia was found in SLE patients. Alexithymia was associated with psychopathology, personality, and quality of life dimensions. Clinical variables and therapy were not correlated significantly with alexithymia, psychopathology, or quality of life dimensions. Multiple regression analysis showed that openness and depression were the two predictors for alexithymia in SLE patients. The present findings showed that alexithymia may play an important role in SLE patients. The difficulty in the management of emotions may lead to psychological distress and instability affecting the patient's quality of life, a relevant finding for the psychological, psychiatric, and clinical intervention and approach.