Prevalence and correlates of alexithymia in older persons with medically (un)explained physical symptoms

被引:7
|
作者
Bos, Pauline [4 ,1 ]
Oude Voshaar, Richard C. [1 ]
Hanssen, Denise J. C. [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Groningen, Univ Med Ctr Groningen, Dept Psychiat, Groningen, Netherlands
关键词
alexithymia; case control study; medically unexplained symptoms; old age; physical symptoms; somatoform; SOMATOFORM DISORDERS; UNEXPLAINED SYMPTOMS; CHILDHOOD ABUSE; SOMATIZATION; ADULTS; SCALE; RISK; CARE;
D O I
10.1002/gps.5736
中图分类号
R592 [老年病学]; C [社会科学总论];
学科分类号
03 ; 0303 ; 100203 ;
摘要
Objectives: Much is unknown about the combination of Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS) and alexithymia in later life, but it may culminate in a high disease burden for older patients. In the present study we assess the prevalence of alexithymia in older patients with either MUS or Medically Explained Symptoms (MES) and we explore physical, psychological and social correlates of alexithymia. Methods and Design: A case control study was performed. We recruited older persons (>60 years) with MUS (N = 118) or MES (N = 154) from the general public, general practitioner clinics and hospitals. Alexithymia was measured by the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, correlates were measured by various questionnaires. Results: Prevalence and severity of alexithymia were higher among older persons with MUS compared to MES. Alexithymia prevalence in the MUS subgroup was 23.7%. We found no association between alexithymia and increasing age. Alexithymia was associated with depressive symptoms, especially in the MUS population. Conclusions: Alexithymia prevalence was lower than generally found in younger patients with somatoform disorder, but comparable to studies with similar diagnostic methods for MUS. Considering the high prevalence and presumed etiological impact of alexithymia in older patients with MUS, as well as its association with depression, this stresses the need to develop better understanding of the associations between alexithymia, MUS and depression in later life.
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页数:11
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