Is alexithymia a personality trait increasing the risk of depression? A prospective study evaluating alexithymia before, during and after a depressive episode
Abstract
Background: Whether alexithymia is a personality trait that increases the risk of major depression (MD) is still debated. In this prospective study, alexithymic levels were evaluated before, during and after a depressive episode. Method: The alexithymic levels, the presence of MD and the severity of anxious-depressive symptoms were evaluated at intervals of about 1 month in pregnant women attending the Centers for Prenatal Care, using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results: Sixteen women affected by MD, 21 affected by subthreshold depression and 112 non-depressed women were included in the study. Women who developed depression, compared to non-depressed women, showed similar TAS and HADS scores during the pre-morbid phase, a significant increase in the scores during depression and a significant decrease after remission, whereas no change was observed in non-depressed women. Conclusions: Our data suggest that in pregnant women alexithymia does not represent a personality trait that increases the risk of developing a depressive episode, and they support the hypothesis that alexithymia is a state-dependent phenomenon in depressed pregnant women.
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Alexithymia (low emotional awareness) is a state-dependent feature of current depression.
“alexithymia (cf low emotional awareness) is a state-dependent feature of current depression (Marchesi, Bertoni, Cantoni, & Maggini, 2008)”
From Facets of Mindfulness in Adults with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Impact of Co-occurring Depression (2019) · cites this paper as Marchesi, Bertoni, Cantoni, & Maggini, 2008
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- Authors
- Marchesi, C., Bertoni, S., Cantoni, A., & Maggini, C.
- Affiliations
- University of Parma (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Marchesi, C.
- Venue
- Psychological Medicine
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2008-03-26
- Volume
- 38
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 1717-1722
- ISSN
- 0033-2917 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-8978
- OpenAlex
- W2140239886
- Cited by
- 61
- References
- 23
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 2.80
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- alexithymia, major depressive disorder, personality traits, pregnancy, subthreshold depression, depressive episodes, remission, anxiety symptoms, risk factors for depression
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Affective Symptoms, Major Depressive Disorder, Female, Humans, Personality Inventory, Prospective Studies, Surveys and Questionnaires, Risk Factors, Severity of Illness Index, Time Factors
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