An examination of the relationship between alexithymia and somatic complaints of mothers and obsessive-compulsive features of children

Year 2019, , 128 - 134, 30.06.2019

Hüseyin Ünübol , Meryem Büşra Yılmazer Kaya

https://doi.org/10.16899/jcm.559584

Cited By: 1

Abstract

Objective:

The study aims to determine the relationship of alexithymic features and somatization levels in their mothers to obsessive-compulsive features in children.

Participants:

The sample of our research is composed of 173 mothers and 173 children who are in high school in Osmaniye province. 

Methods:

Sociodemographic data form developed by the researcher, Symptom Check List (SCL-90-R) (Somatisation subscale), Maudsley Obsessive Compulsive Questionaire (MOCQ), and 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) is used as a data collection tool. 

Results:

It was found that there was a strong positive correlation between MOCQ total scores of children with SCL-90's (r = 0,776) Somatization subscale scores and Alexithymia Total scores (r = 0,613) of mothers. Also, all Subscales of MOCQ scores are correlated with TAS-20 subscales and SCL-90 (Somatization subscale) except rumination subscale of MOCQ scales. 

Conclusion:

Mothers who come from ignorant feelings and have somatic complaints affect the relationship with their children significantly. As a result of this relationship, obsessive thoughts increase in children.

Keywords

Alexithymia, somatic complains, obsessions, mothers

References

• 1. Chamberlain SR, Blackwell AD, Fineberg NA, Robbins TW, Sahakian BJ. The neuropsychology of obsessive compulsive disorder: the importance of failures in cognitive and behavioural inhibition as candidate endophenotypic markers. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 2005 May 1;29(3):399–419.
• 2. Gabbard GO. Psychoanalytically informed approaches to the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychoanalytic Inquiry. Taylor & Francis Group; 2001 May 15;21(2):208–21.
• 3. Kempke S, Luyten P. Psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral approaches of obsessive-compulsive disorder: Is it time to work through our ambivalence? Bull Menninger Clin. 2007 Sep 1;71(4):291–311.
• 4. Taylor S, Jang KL. Biopsychosocial etiology of obsessions and compulsions: An integrated behavioral-genetic and cognitive-behavioral analysis. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 2011 Jan 1;120(1):174–86.
• 5. Salkovskis P, Shafran R, Rachman S, Freeston MH. Multiple pathways to inflated responsibility beliefs in obsessional problems: possible origins and implications for therapy and research. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 1999 Nov 1;37(11):1055–72.
• 6. Nordahl HM, Stiles TC. Perceptions of Parental Bonding in Patients with Various Personality Disorders, Lifetime Depressive Disorders, and Healthy Controls. Journal of Personality Disorders. 1997 Dec;11(4):391–402.
• 7. Timpano KR, Keough ME, Mahaffey B, Schmidt NB, Abramowitz J. Parenting and obsessive compulsive symptoms: Implications of authoritarian parenting. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy. Springer Publishing Company; 2010 Jun 29;24(3):151–64.
• 8. Wilcox HC, Grados M, Samuels J, Riddle MA, Bienvenu OJ, Pinto A, et al. The association between parental bonding and obsessive compulsive disorder in offspring at high familial risk. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2008 Nov 1;111(1):31–9.
• 9. Honey E, Leekam S, Turner M, McConachie H. Repetitive behaviour and play in typically developing children and children with autism spectrum disorders. J Autism Dev Disord. Kluwer Academic Publishers-Plenum Publishers; 2007 Jul 1;37(6):1107–15.
• 10. Zwaigenbaum L, Bryson S, Garon N. Early identification of autism spectrum disorders. Behavioural Brain Research. 2013 Aug 15;251:133–46.
• 11. Berthoz S, Lalanne C, Crane L, Hill EL. Investigating emotional impairments in adults with autism spectrum disorders and the broader autism phenotype. Psychiatry Research. 2013 Jun 7;208(3):257–64.
• 12. Hill E, Berthoz S, Frith U. Brief report: Cognitive processing of own emotions in individuals with autistic spectrum disorder and in their relatives. J Autism Dev Disord. Kluwer Academic Publishers-Plenum Publishers; 2004 Apr 1;34(2):229–35.
• 13. Samson AC, Huber O, Gross JJ. Emotion regulation in Asperger's syndrome and high-functioning autism. Emotion. 2012 Aug;12(4):659–65.
• 14. Brown RA, Lejuez CW, Kahler CW, Strong DR. Distress tolerance and duration of past smoking cessation attempts. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 2002 Jan 1;111(1):180–5.
• 15. Daughters SB, Lejuez CW, Kahler CW, Strong DR, Brown RA. Psychological distress tolerance and duration of most recent abstinence attempt among residential treatment-seeking substance abusers. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. 2005 Jun 1;19(2):208–11.
• 16. Haines J, Josephs S, Williams CL, Wells JH. The psychophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behaviour Change. Cambridge University Press; 1998 Jan 1;15(4):244–54.
• 17. Moritz S, Kempke S, Luyten P, Randjbar S, Jelinek L. Was Freud partly right on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)? Investigation of latent aggression in OCD. Psychiatry Research. 2011 May 15;187(1-2):180–4.
• 18. Taylor GJ. The alexithymia construct: Conceptualization, validation, and relationship with basic dimensions of personality. New Trends in Experimental and Clinical Psychiatry. 1994 Jan 1;10(2):61–74.
• 19. Humphreys TP, Wood LM, Parker JDA. Alexithymia and satisfaction in intimate relationships. Personality and Individual Differences. 2009 Jan 1;46(1):43–7.
• 20. Holder MD, Love AB, Timoney LR. The Poor Subjective Well-Being Associated with Alexithymia is Mediated by Romantic Relationships. Journal of Happiness Studies. 5 ed. Springer Netherlands; 2014 Jan 1;16(1):117–33.
• 21. Grynberg D, Luminet O, Corneille O, Grèzes J, Berthoz S. Alexithymia in the interpersonal domain: A general deficit of empathy? Personality and Individual Differences. 2010 Dec 1;49(8):845–50.
• 22. Sifneos PE. The prevalence of “alexithymic” characteristics in psychosomatic patients. Psychother Psychosom. Karger Publishers; 1973;22(2):255–62.
• 23. Aleman A. Feelings you can't imagine: Towards a cognitive neuroscience of alexithymia. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 2005 Dec 1;9(12):553–5.
• 24. Taylor GJ, Bagby RM. Psychoanalysis and Empirical Research: The Example of Alexithymia. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association. 2013 Feb 1;61(1):99–133.
• 25. Luminet O, Vermeulen N, Demaret C, Taylor GJ, Bagby RM. Alexithymia and levels of processing: Evidence for an overall deficit in remembering emotion words. Journal of Research in Personality. 2006 Oct 1;40(5):713–33.
• 26. Khosravani V, Alvani A, Sharifi Bastan F, Jamaati Ardakani R, Akbari H. The alexithymia, cognitive emotion regulation, and physical symptoms in Iranian asthmatic patients. Personality and Individual Differences. 2016 Oct 1;101:214–9.
• 27. Honkalampi K, Koivumaa-Honkanen H, Antikainen R, Haatainen K, Hintikka J, Viinamäki H. Relationships among Alexithymia, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Sociodemographic Variables, and Actual Mood Disorder: A 2-Year Clinical Follow-Up Study of Patients with Major Depressive Disorder. Psychosomatics. 2004 Jan 1;45(3):197–204.
• 28. Picardi A, Toni A, Caroppo E. Stability of alexithymia and its relationships with the “big five” factors, temperament, character, and attachment style. Psychother Psychosom. Karger Publishers; 2005 Oct 1;74(6):371–8.
• 29. Fukunishi I, Kikuchi M, Wogan J, Takubo M. Secondary alexithymia as a state reaction in panic disorder and social phobia. Compr Psychiatry. 1997 Jan 1;38(3):166–70.
• 30. Mason O, Tyson M, Jones C, Potts S. Alexithymia: Its prevalence and correlates in a British undergraduate sample. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice. Wiley/Blackwell (10.1111); 2005 Mar 1;78(1):113–25.
• 31. Fukunishi I, Rahe RH. Alexithymia and coping with stress in healthy persons: alexithymia as a personality trait is associated with low social support and poor responses to stress. Psychol Rep. 1995 Jun;76(3 Pt 2):1299–304.
• 32. Kojima M, Senda Y, Nagaya T, Tokudome S, Furukawa TA. Alexithymia, depression and social support among Japanese workers. Psychother Psychosom. 2003 Oct 27;72(6):307–14.
• 33. Parker G. Parental “Affectionless Control” as an Antecedent to Adult Depression: A Risk Factor Delineated. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1983 Jan 1;40(9):956–60.
• 34. Torresani S, Favaretto E, Zimmermann C. Parental representations in drug-dependent patients and their parents. Compr Psychiatry. 2000 Jan 1;41(2):123–9.
• 35. Calvocoressi L, Lewis B, Harris M, Trufan SJ, Goodman WK, McDougle CJ, et al. Family accommodation in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 1995 Mar;152(3):441–3.
• 36. Farrell LJ, Hourigan D, Waters AM. Do mothers enhance responsibility in children with obsessive–compulsive disorder? A preliminary study of mother–child interactions during a problem solving discussion. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. 2013 Apr 1;2(2):78–84.
• 37. Boeding SE, Paprocki CM, Baucom DH, Abramowitz JS, Wheaton MG, Fabricant LE, et al. Let me check that for you: Symptom accommodation in romantic partners of adults with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2013 Jan 1;51(6):316–22.
• 38. Hodgson RJ, Rachman S. Obsessional-compulsive complaints. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 1977 Jan 1;15(5):389–95.
• 39. Bagby RM, Taylor GJ, Parker JDA. The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia scale—II. Convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 1994 Jan 1;38(1):33–40.
• 40. Gulec H, Köse S, Yazıcı MG. Yirmi soruluk Toronto Aleksimi Ölçeği'nin Türkçe uyarlamasının geçerlik ve güvenirliğinin incelenmesi. Klinik Psikofarmakoloji Bulteni. 2009;19(3):213–9.
• 41. Derogatis LR, Rickels K, Rock AF. The SCL 90 and the MMPI: a step in the validation of a new self report scale. British Journal of Psychiatry. 1976 Jan 1;128(3):280–9.
• 42. Rector NA, Cassin SE, Richter MA, Burroughs E. Obsessive beliefs in first-degree relatives of patients with OCD: A test of the cognitive vulnerability model. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2009 Jan 1;23(1):145–9.
• 43. Kawamura KY, Frost RO, Harmatz MG. The relationship of perceived parenting styles to perfectionism. 2002. pp. 317–27.
• 44. McLeod BD, Wood JJ, Weisz JR. Examining the association between parenting and childhood anxiety: A meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review. 2007 Mar 1;27(2):155–72.
• 45. van der Bruggen CO, Stams GJ, Bögels SM. Research review: the relation between child and parent anxiety and parental control: a meta-analytic review. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines. Wiley/Blackwell (10.1111); 2008 Dec 1;49(12):1257–69.
• 46. Summerfeldt LJ, Gilbert SJ, Reynolds M. Incompleteness, aesthetic sensitivity, and the obsessive-compulsive need for symmetry. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2015 Dec 1;49(Pt B):141–9.
• 47. Paul S, Endrass T, Kathmann N, Simon D. Adapting another person's affective state modulates brain potentials to unpleasant pictures. Biological Psychology. 2016 Oct 1;120:81–7.
• 48. Stern MR, Nota JA, Heimberg RG, Holaway RM, Coles ME. An initial examination of emotion regulation and obsessive compulsive symptoms. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. 2014 Jan 1;3(2):109–14.
• 49. Summerfeldt LJ, Kloosterman PH, Antony MM, Swinson RP. Examining an obsessive-compulsive core dimensions model_ Structural validity of harm avoidance and incompleteness. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. Elsevier; 2014 Apr 1;3(2):83–94.
• 50. Mikulincer M, Shaver PR. Attachment, group-related processes, and psychotherapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy. Routledge; 2007 Apr 1;57(2):233–45.
• 51. Bowlby J. The Bowlby-Ainsworth attachment theory. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. Cambridge University Press; 1979 Jan 1;2(4):637–8.
• 52. Coles ME, Frost RO, Heimberg RG, Rhéaume J. “Not just right experiences”: Perfectionism, obsessive-compulsive features and general psychopathology. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2003 Jun 1;41(6):681–700.
• 53. Spielberger CD, O'Neil HF, Hansen DN. Anxiety, drive theory, and computer-assisted learning. Progress in experimental personality research. 1972 Dec 1;6:109–48.
• 54. Coles ME, Heimberg RG, Frost RO, Steketee G. Not just right experiences and obsessive-compulsive features: experimental and self-monitoring perspectives. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2005 Feb;43(2):153–67.
• 55. Parker JDA, Taylor GJ, Michael Bagby R. Alexithymia and the recognition of facial expressions of emotion. Psychother Psychosom. Karger Publishers; 1993 Jan 1;59(3-4):197–202.
• 56. Damasio AR. Review ■ Toward a Neurobiology of Emotion and Feeling: Operational Concepts and Hypotheses. The Neuroscientist. 1995 Jan 1;1(1):19–25.
• 57. Carpenter L, Chung MC. Childhood trauma in obsessive compulsive disorder: The roles of alexithymia and attachment. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice. Wiley/Blackwell (10.1111); 2011 Dec 1;84(4):367–88.