Investigating the role of alexithymia on the empathic deficits found in schizotypy and autism spectrum traits

Aaron, Rachel V.; Benson, Taylor L.; Park, Sohee

doi:10.1016/j.paid.2014.12.032

Cited by 83Psychosomatic Disorders and Their TreatmentsAutism Spectrum Disorder ResearchSchizophrenia research and treatment

Investigating the role of alexithymia on the empathic deficits found in schizotypy and autism spectrum traits

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Aaron, Rachel V., Benson, Taylor L., Park, Sohee·2015·Personality and Individual Differences

DOI 10.1016/j.paid.2014.12.032PMC PMC5820003

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Abstract

Alexithymia, the inability to identify and describe one's emotional experience, is elevated in many clinical populations, and related to poor interpersonal functioning. Alexithymia is also associated with empathic deficits in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Accordingly, a better understanding of alexithymia could elucidate the nature of social-cognitive deficits transdiagnostically. We investigated alexithymia and components of empathy in relation to schizotypal and autism spectrum traits in healthy college students. Specifically, we examined higher-order components of empathic processing that involve perspective taking and other-oriented concern, which are reduced in alexithymia. Higher-order empathic processing was inversely correlated with both schizotypal and autism spectrum traits. Bootstrapping techniques revealed that alexithymia had a significant indirect effect on the relationship between higher-order empathy and these personality traits; thus, alexithymia contributes uniquely to their relationship. These findings suggest alexithymia represents one possible mechanism for the development of empathic deficits in these populations. These results are consistent with the perspective that awareness of one's own emotional state may predicate a successful empathic response to another's. This work highlights the importance of a consideration of alexithymia in elucidating the nature of empathic deficits in various clinical populations, and points to a potential point of social intervention.

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Alexithymia appears to contribute to the relationship between self-reported empathy and both autistic and schizotypal traits in the non-clinical population.
“Alexithymia also appears to contribute to the relationship between self-reported empathy and both autistic and schizoptypal traits in the non-clinical population (Aaron et al., 2015).”
From Atypical interoception as a common risk factor for psychopathology: A review (2021) · cites this paper as Aaron et al., 2015

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Authors: Aaron, R. V., Benson, T. L., & Park, S.
Affiliations: Vanderbilt University (US)
Corresponding author: Aaron, Rachel V.
ORCID: Aaron, Rachel V.
Park, Sohee
Venue: Personality and Individual Differences
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2015-04
Volume: 77
Pages: 215-220
ISSN: 0191-8869 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2014.12.032
PMC: PMC5820003
OpenAlex: W2080521506
Cited by: 83
References: 55
Citations by year: 2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 3
FWCI: 5.68
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations: Personality and Individual Differences (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders: NIMH (T32 MH018921)
NICHD (P30 HD15052)
NCATS/NIH (UL1 TR000445)
Topics: Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
Keywords: alexithymia, empathy, schizotypy, autistic traits, perspective taking, emotional awareness, social cognition, interpersonal functioning

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Investigating the role of alexithymia on the empathic deficits found in schizotypy and autism spectrum traits

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