The prevalence of alexithymia in 46 inpatients with alcohol abuse or d
ependence was 67.4%. Pretreatment characteristics predicting outcome a
t 15 months were determined. At the 15-month time point, 67.4% of pati
ents met criteria for abuse or alcohol dependence and 32.6% were absti
nent. In patients who relapsed, the total score for the 20-item Toront
o Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the score for the TAS-20-feelings fac
tor were significantly higher than in subjects who were abstinent, eve
n when depressive symptoms were taken into account. Stepwise multiple
linear regression showed that the TAS-20-feelings factor significantly
predicted abstinence. The results may suggest that alexithymia predic
ted poor outcome in alcoholic inpatients. Copyright (C) 1997 by W.B. S
aunders Company.