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Cited by 126Psychosomatic Disorders and Their TreatmentsMyofascial pain diagnosis and treatmentFibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research

The relationship of alexithymia to pain severity and impairment among patients with chronic myofascial pain

Lumley, Mark A, Smith, Julie A, Longo, David J·2002·Journal of Psychosomatic Research
DOI 10.1016/s0022-3999(02)00337-9
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Abstract

Objective Alexithymia is elevated among patients with chronic pain, but the relationship of alexithymia to the severity of pain among chronic pain patients is unclear. Also, studies have rarely examined whether alexithymia is unique from other, more widely studied constructs in the chronic pain literature (i.e., self-efficacy, catastrophizing, and depression), and research has not examined how alexithymia relates to the sensory versus affective dimensions of pain.Methods Among 80 patients with chronic myofascial pain, we tested how alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20) was related to three competing constructs--self-efficacy, catastrophizing, and depression--and to the sensory and affective dimensions of pain as well as physical impairment. We then determined whether alexithymia remained correlated with pain and impairment when tested simultaneously with each of the three competing constructs.Results Analyses controlled for patients' sex, age, marital status, and duration of pain. Alexithymia was moderately correlated with less self-efficacy and greater catastrophizing, and substantially correlated with greater depression. Alexithymia was positively related to both affective pain and physical impairment, but was unrelated to sensory pain, whereas all three of the competing constructs were related to both types of pain as well as physical impairment. Regression analyses indicated that alexithymia remained a significant and independent correlate of affective pain severity while controlling for either self-efficacy or catastrophizing, but depression accounted for alexithymia's relationship with affective pain. Also, alexithymia was no longer related to physical impairment, after controlling for any of the other three constructs.Conclusion Although alexithymia is not related to the sensory component of pain, it is correlated positively with the affective or unpleasantness component of pain, independent of self-efficacy or catastrophizing. The emotional regulation deficits of alexithymia may lead to depression, which appears to mediate alexithymia's relationship to affective pain. Alexithymia's relationship with physical impairment appears to be better accounted for by self-efficacy or catastrophizing.

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  • Pain sensitivity in individuals with chronic pain conditions has been associated with alexithymia.

    “While pain sensitivity in individuals with chronic pain conditions has been associated with alexithymia (Glaros and Lumley, 2005; Lumley et al., 2002), little research has investigated the relationship between pain hyper- and hypo-sensitivity and other interoceptive difficulties in these clinical groups.”

    From Atypical interoception as a common risk factor for psychopathology: A review (2021) · cites this paper as Lumley et al., 2002

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Authors
Lumley, M. A., Smith, J. A., & Longo, D. J.
Affiliations
  • Wayne State University (US)
  • Geisinger Medical Center (US)
Corresponding author
Lumley, Mark A
ORCID
Lumley, Mark A
Venue
Journal of Psychosomatic Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2002-09
Volume
53
Issue
3
Pages
823-830
ISSN
0022-3999 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/s0022-3999(02)00337-9
OpenAlex
W130324343
Cited by
126
References
51
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 7
FWCI
2.56
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Journal of Psychosomatic Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Myofascial pain diagnosis and treatment
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research
Keywords
alexithymia, chronic myofascial pain, pain intensity, affective pain, sensory pain, physical impairment, self-efficacy, pain catastrophizing, depression, emotion regulation, Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20
MeSH terms
Adult, Affective Symptoms, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Attitude, Chronic Disease, Depression, Facial Pain, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Severity of Illness Index, Self Efficacy

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