Does alexithymia expose to mental disorder symptoms in late adolescence? A 4-year follow-up study

Objective: To investigate the possible causal link between alexithymia and the emergence of anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as alcohol consumption in a sample of late adolescents. Method: The nonclinical sample comprised late adolescents (n=315), including both females (n=256) and males (n=59). The follow-up period was 4 years, and at baseline, the mean age of the subjects was 19 years (range 17-21 years). Alexithymia was measured with the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), depression symptoms with the short form of the Beck Depression Inventory (RBDI), anxiety with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and alcohol consumption with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). The three TAS-20 subscales were assessed separately. Linear and cumulative logistic regression analyses were used for the evaluation of associations, and the analyses were adjusted with the corresponding baseline scores. Results: The TAS-20 total and subscale scores did not predict the RBDI or AUDIT scores at follow-up. However, the TAS-20 subscale "difficulty identifying feelings" was significantly associated with both STAI-State (P=.007) and STAI-Trait (P=.004) scores at follow-up. Conclusions: Alexithymic features may be individual predictors of later anxiety symptoms. The significant differences between the various dimensions of alexithymia should be considered in future studies. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.