The role of alexithymia as a risk factor for self-harm among adolescents in depression-A systematic review

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2022

Authors

Bordalo, F (Author) Other; IP Carvalho (Author) FMUP

Journal

Title: Journal of Affective Disorders

Vol. 297

Pages: 130-144

ISSN: 0165-0327

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 24 Citations

Scopus - 27 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00V-M3K

DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.10.029

Abstract (EN): Introduction: Considering the suggested role of alexithymia in increasing the risk of self-harm, especially when depression is also present, and that rates of self-harm tend to peak in adolescence, the aim of this systematic review was to synthetize the most relevant research studies on this topic and provide an understanding on whether alexithymia can be considered as an important risk factor for non-suicidal self-harm among adolescents with depression. Methods: Searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycINFO, resulting in 290 records. After removal of duplicates, 273 records were left and after reading the titles and abstracts, 231 articles were excluded, leaving 42 articles that were read in full. Of these 42, nine articles were included in this review. Results: The sample of this review consists of eight case-control studies and one cross-sectional and longitudinal survey. All nine studies concluded that the most important variables associated with self-harming behavior were depression and alexithymia, among all other variables assessed. The self-harming groups showed significantly higher scores on alexithymia (overall and particularly Factor 1- difficulties identifying feelings and differentiating them from bodily sensations), when compared to the control (no self-harming) groups, and the mean depression scores for self-harming groups were significantly higher than those for non-harming groups. All nine studies included in this review shared the limitation of self-reported information. Conclusion: These results indicate that alexithymia is a risk factor for non-suicidal self-harm among adolescents with depression, even when other variables were also inspected, and may be a prevention and therapeutic target in the future.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 15