Is alexithymia affected by situational stress or is it a stable trait related to emotion regulation?
(2006) Personality and Individual Differences — Vol. 40, n° 7, p. 1399-1408 (2006)
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- Numerous studies have found alexithymia to be negatively associated with psychological distress. However, the nature of such an association remains unclear and controversial. Whereas some authors consider alexithymia as a stable personality trait constituting a vulnerability factor regarding mental disorders, other authors view it as a defensive mechanism secondary to the occurrence of psychological distress. The present prospective study (12 weeks follow-up) examines the stability of alexithymia in the context of acute changes in the level of psychological distress. Contrary to most previous studies that have examined alexithymia stability after a reduction in psychological distress, this study examines alexithymia stability in the context of increase in psychological distress. Four indicators of stability were considered: absolute, mean-level, rank-order and relative stability. Although not absolutely stable, alexithymia was found to show a high degree of relative stability despite the acute increase in psychological distress. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Mikolajczak, M., & Luminet, O. (2006). Is alexithymia affected by situational stress or is it a stable trait related to emotion regulation? Personality and Individual Differences, 40(7), 1399-1408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2005.10.020 (Original work published 2006)