Emotion response disconcordance among trauma-exposed adults: the impact of alexithymia

Abstract Background Emotion processing deficits have been identified as a critical transdiagnostic factor that facilitates distress after trauma exposure. Limited skills in identifying and labelling emotional states (i.e. alexithymia) may present on the more automated (less conscious) end of the spe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological medicine 2023-09, Vol.53 (12), p.5442-5448
Main Authors: Putica, Andrea, O'Donnell, Meaghan L., Felmingham, Kim L., Van Dam, Nicholas T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Alexithymia
Arousal
Autonomic nervous system
Data collection
Emotional regulation
Emotional responses
Emotional states
Emotions
Galvanic skin response
Headphones
Labeling
Labelling
Mood
Original
Original Article
Pathology
Physiological arousal
Physiology
Post traumatic stress disorder
Psychological distress
Psychological trauma
Skin testing
Trauma
Traumatic life events
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Summary:Abstract Background Emotion processing deficits have been identified as a critical transdiagnostic factor that facilitates distress after trauma exposure. Limited skills in identifying and labelling emotional states (i.e. alexithymia) may present on the more automated (less conscious) end of the spectrum of emotional awareness and clarity. Individuals with alexithymia tend to exhibit a disconcordance between subjective experience and autonomic activity (e.g. where high levels of subjective emotional intensity are associated with low physiological arousal), which may exacerbate distress. Although there is a robust link between alexithymia and trauma exposure, no work to date has explored whether alexithymia is associated with emotional response disconcordance among trauma-exposed adults. Method Using a validated trauma script paradigm, the present study explored the impact of alexithymia on emotion response concordance [skin conductance (Galvanic Skin Response, GSR) and Total Mood Disturbance (TMD)] among 74 trauma-exposed adults recruited via a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment clinic and student research programme. Results Unlike posttraumatic symptom severity, age, sex, participant type and mood (which showed no effect on emotion response concordance), alexithymia was associated with heightened emotion response disconcordance between GSR and TMD [ F (1, 37) = 8.93, p = 0.006], with low GSR being associated with high TMD. Observed effects of the trauma script were entirely accounted for by the interaction with alexithymia, such that those with alexithymia showed a negligible association between subjective and physiological states. Conclusion This finding is paramount as it shows that a large proportion of trauma-exposed adults have a divergent emotion engagement profile.
ISSN:0033-2917
1469-8978
DOI:10.1017/S0033291722002586