Dealing with emotions when the ability to cry is hampered: emotion processing and regulation in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome

The hampered ability to cry in patients with Sjögren's syndrome may affect their ways of dealing with emotions. The aim of this study was to examine differences in emotion processing and regulation between people with and without Sjögren's syndrome and correlations of emotion processing an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical and experimental rheumatology 2012-07, Vol.30 (4), p.492-498
Main Authors: VAN LEEUWEN, N, BOSSEMA, E. R, VAN MIDDENDORP, H, KRUIZE, A. A, BOOTSMA, H, BIJLSMA, J. W. J, GEENEN, R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Affective Symptoms - physiopathology
Affective Symptoms - psychology
Aged
Biological and medical sciences
Crying - physiology
Crying - psychology
Diseases of the osteoarticular system
Expressed Emotion - physiology
Female
Humans
Lacrimal Apparatus - physiopathology
Male
Medical sciences
Mental Health
Mental Processes - physiology
Middle Aged
Quality of Life - psychology
Sarcoidosis. Granulomatous diseases of unproved etiology. Connective tissue diseases. Elastic tissue diseases. Vasculitis
Sjogren's Syndrome - physiopathology
Sjogren's Syndrome - psychology
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:The hampered ability to cry in patients with Sjögren's syndrome may affect their ways of dealing with emotions. The aim of this study was to examine differences in emotion processing and regulation between people with and without Sjögren's syndrome and correlations of emotion processing and regulation with mental well-being. In 300 patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome and 100 demographically matched control participants (mean age 56.8 years, 93% female), emotion processing (affect intensity and alexithymia, i.e. difficulty identifying and describing feelings), emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal, suppression and expression of emotions), and mental well-being were assessed. Criteria for clinical alexithymia applied to 22% of the patients and 12% of the control participants; patients had significantly more difficulty identifying feelings than control participants. No other significant differences in emotion processing and emotion regulation were found. In patients, the emotion processing styles affect intensity and alexithymia (0.32
ISSN:0392-856X
1593-098X