This study examined alexithymic characteristics of 57 patients with peptic ulcer and 198 with erosive gastritis. The prevalence rate of alexithymia, as measured on the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, was significantly higher for the peptic ulcer group (51%) than for the erosive gastrins group (21%). Scores of the Profile of Mood States were significantly higher for the peptic ulcer group than for the erosive gastritis group. The alexithymia scores were significantly correlated with the scores on the Profile of Mood States. However, discriminant analysis indicated that the alexithymia scores could account for significant additional variance beyond mood states as measured by the Profile of Mood States.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AlexanderF.FrenchT. M.PollockG. H. (1976) Psychosomatic specifity. Vol. I. Chicago, IL: Univer. of Chicago Press.
2.
BagbyR. M.TaylorG. J.ParkerJ. D. A. (1994) The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale: I. Item selection and cross-validation of the factor structure. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 38, 23–32.
3.
BagbyR. M.TaylorG. J.ParkerJ. D. A. (1994) The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale: II. Convetgent, discriminant, and concurrent validity, Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 38, 33–40.
4.
ComreyA. (1973) A first course in factor analysis. New York: Academic Press.
5.
DaviesD. T.WilsonA. T. M. (1937) Observations on the life history of chronic peptic ulcer. Lancet, 1, 1354–1360.
6.
DixonM. F. (1994) Pathophysiology of Helicobacter pylori infection. Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, 201(Suppl.), 7–10.
7.
FukunishiI.NakagawaT.NakamuraH.KikuchiM.TakuboM. (1997) Is alexithymia a culture-bound construct? Reliability and validity of the Japanese versions of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and modified Beth Israel Hospital Questionnaire. Psychological Reports, 80, 787–799.
8.
FukunishiI.HosakaT.RaheR. H. (in press) Are abnormal gastrofiberscopic findings related to hostility with poor social support or negative responses to stress. Journal of Psychosomatic Research.
9.
FukunishiI.KajiN.HosakaT.BergerD.RaheR. H. (in press) Relationship of alexithymia and poor social support to ulcerative changes on gastrofiberscopy. Psychosomatics.
10.
FukunishiI.NakagawaT.NakamuraH.SoneY.KajiT.HosakaT.RaheR. H. (1995) Validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the Stress and Coping Inventory. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 49, 195–199.
11.
HosakaT.TokudaT.KojohY.UchotomiY.AokiT.FukunishiI.KishiY. (1995) [Coping styles and emotional states among cancer patients.] [Japanese Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine], 35, 483–489. [in Japanese]
12.
HoveliuB.AnderronS. I.HaganderB.MolstadS.ReimersP.SperlichE.WadstromT. (1994) Dyspepsia in general practice: history and symptoms in relation to Helicobacter pylori serum antibodies. Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, 29, 506–510.
13.
McNairD.LorrM.DropplemannL. (1971) Manual for the Profile of Mood States. San Diego, CA: Educational and Industrial Testing Service.
14.
NamirS.WolcottD. L.FawzyF. I.AlumbaughM. J. (1987) Coping with AIDS: psychological and health implications. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 17, 309–328.
15.
RaheR. H. (1995) Stress and coping in psychiatry. In KaplanH. I.SadockB. J. (Eds.), Comprehensive textbook of psychiatry. Vol. 6. Baltimore, MD: William & Wilkins. Pp. 1545–1559.
16.
RaheR. H.VeachT. L. (1995) The Stress and Coping Inventory (SCI): sources, reliability and validity. Nevada Stress Center Report 93–1, VAMC, Reno, NV.
17.
SalminenJ.SaarijarviS.AairelaF.TamminenT. (1994) Alexithymia-state and trait? One-year follow-up study of general hospital psychiatric consultation out-patients. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 38, 681–685.
18.
TennantC. C.GollstonK.LangeluddeckeP. (1986) Psychological correlates of gastric and duodenal ulcer disease. Psychosomatic Medicine, 16, 365–371.
19.
WilkinsonL.HillM.VangE. (1992) SYSTAT: Statistics Version 5.2. Evanston, IL: SYSTAT, Inc.
20.
WolfS.WolfH. G. (1947) Human gastric function. New York: Oxford Univer. Press.
21.
YokoyamaK.ArakiS. (1994) [A guideline of the Japanese Profile of Mood States.] Tokyo: Kaneko Shobo. [in Japanese]
