Sympathetic activity in alexithymics with mother's low care

Citation
I. Fukunishi et al., Sympathetic activity in alexithymics with mother's low care, J PSYCHOSOM, 46(6), 1999, pp. 579-589
Citations number
30
Categorie Soggetti
Psychiatry,"Clinical Psycology & Psychiatry
Journal title
JOURNAL OF PSYCHOSOMATIC RESEARCH
ISSN journal
00223999 → ACNP
Volume
46
Issue
6
Year of publication
1999
Pages
579 - 589
Database
ISI
SICI code
0022-3999(199906)46:6<579:SAIAWM>2.0.ZU;2-S
Abstract
This study examines the relationships between alexithymic characteristics a nd their psychological factors (i.e., maternal closeness) and the sympathet ic system in a sample of male college students. At the resting period, low frequency (LF)I high frequency (HF) ratio, as an index of sympathetic activ ity, was significantly higher for students with high scores on global alexi thymia or its alexithymia factor (difficulty describing feelings) than thos e with low scores, suggesting that alexithymic students tend to indicate hi gh sympathetic activity during the resting period. During stress, the incre ase of LF/HF ratio was higher for students with low scores on alexithymia t han those with high scores. Although no significant differences were noted, one may speculate that the differences in stress-related activation of LF/ HF are due to higher levels of LH/HF in high alexithymics prior to stress. Our findings indicate that significant association between alexithymia and sympathetic activity during the resting period was controlled for the level of mother's care, suggesting that maternal attachment in infancy and/or ch ildhood may play an important role in the development of alexithymic charac teristics and/or sympathetic activity during the resting period. (C) 1999 E lsevier Science Inc.