IS ALEXITHYMIA A NEGATIVE FACTOR FOR MAINTAINING ABSTINENCE - A FOLLOW-UP-STUDY

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.