Alexithymia and cortisol awakening response in people with eating disorders
Introduction Alexithymia, that is the inability to recognize and describe one’s own emotions, is a transdiagnostic feature across eating disorders (EDs) and it has been associated to a prolonged stress exposure. Objectives Therefore, we evaluated whether alexithymia affects the hypothalamus-pitu...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2021-04-01
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| Series: | European Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933821003266/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1797617600545423360 |
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| author | G. Cascino A.M. Monteleone F. Marciello V. Ruzzi F. Pellegrino P. Monteleone |
| author_facet | G. Cascino A.M. Monteleone F. Marciello V. Ruzzi F. Pellegrino P. Monteleone |
| author_sort | G. Cascino |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Introduction
Alexithymia, that is the inability to recognize and describe one’s own emotions, is a transdiagnostic feature across eating disorders (EDs) and it has been associated to a prolonged stress exposure.
Objectives
Therefore, we evaluated whether alexithymia affects the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) or bulimia nervosa (BN).
Methods
Twenty-six women with AN and 26 with BN participated in the study. Alexithymia was evaluated by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale–20 and eating-related psychopathology was measured by the Eating Disorder Inventory-2. The activity of the HPA axis was assessed by the salivary cortisol awakening response (CAR). Group differences in saliva CAR were tested by repeated measures 3-way ANOVA with diagnosis and alexithymia as between-subject factors.
Results
The prevalence of alexithymia did not differ significantly between the two diagnostic groups (c2=1.24, p=0.26). Alexithymia was associated with more severe eating-related psychopathology in AN women but not in BN women. A significant reduction in the magnitude of CAR occurred in alexithymic patients with BN compared to non-alexithymic patients with BN (t = 3.39, p = 0.008), but not in alexithymic women with AN (t = 0.67, p = 0.54).
Conclusions
These results confirm the presence of a more severe eating-related psychopathology in alexithymic individuals with AN and show, for the first time, an association between alexithymia and a dampened basal activity of the HPA axis in BN.
Disclosure
No significant relationships.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:58:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c997fd2f70994b09908d6b36f57d272e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0924-9338 1778-3585 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:58:05Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-c997fd2f70994b09908d6b36f57d272e2023-11-17T05:05:22ZengCambridge University PressEuropean Psychiatry0924-93381778-35852021-04-0164S114S11410.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.326Alexithymia and cortisol awakening response in people with eating disordersG. Cascino0A.M. Monteleone1F. Marciello2V. Ruzzi3F. Pellegrino4P. Monteleone5Department Of Medicine, Surgery And Dentistry, University of Salerno, Baronissi/Salerno, ItalyDepartment Of Psychiatry, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyDepartment Of Medicine, Surgery And Dentistry, University of Salerno, Baronissi/Salerno, ItalyDepartment Of Psychiatry, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyDepartment Of Psychiatry, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyDepartment Of Medicine, Surgery And Dentistry, University of Salerno, Baronissi/Salerno, Italy Introduction Alexithymia, that is the inability to recognize and describe one’s own emotions, is a transdiagnostic feature across eating disorders (EDs) and it has been associated to a prolonged stress exposure. Objectives Therefore, we evaluated whether alexithymia affects the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) or bulimia nervosa (BN). Methods Twenty-six women with AN and 26 with BN participated in the study. Alexithymia was evaluated by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale–20 and eating-related psychopathology was measured by the Eating Disorder Inventory-2. The activity of the HPA axis was assessed by the salivary cortisol awakening response (CAR). Group differences in saliva CAR were tested by repeated measures 3-way ANOVA with diagnosis and alexithymia as between-subject factors. Results The prevalence of alexithymia did not differ significantly between the two diagnostic groups (c2=1.24, p=0.26). Alexithymia was associated with more severe eating-related psychopathology in AN women but not in BN women. A significant reduction in the magnitude of CAR occurred in alexithymic patients with BN compared to non-alexithymic patients with BN (t = 3.39, p = 0.008), but not in alexithymic women with AN (t = 0.67, p = 0.54). Conclusions These results confirm the presence of a more severe eating-related psychopathology in alexithymic individuals with AN and show, for the first time, an association between alexithymia and a dampened basal activity of the HPA axis in BN. Disclosure No significant relationships. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933821003266/type/journal_articleeating disordersalexithymiacortisolstress |
| spellingShingle | G. Cascino A.M. Monteleone F. Marciello V. Ruzzi F. Pellegrino P. Monteleone Alexithymia and cortisol awakening response in people with eating disorders European Psychiatry eating disorders alexithymia cortisol stress |
| title | Alexithymia and cortisol awakening response in people with eating disorders |
| title_full | Alexithymia and cortisol awakening response in people with eating disorders |
| title_fullStr | Alexithymia and cortisol awakening response in people with eating disorders |
| title_full_unstemmed | Alexithymia and cortisol awakening response in people with eating disorders |
| title_short | Alexithymia and cortisol awakening response in people with eating disorders |
| title_sort | alexithymia and cortisol awakening response in people with eating disorders |
| topic | eating disorders alexithymia cortisol stress |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933821003266/type/journal_article |
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