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How are Experiential Avoidance and Cognitive Fusion Associated with Alexithymia?

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Abstract

A transdiagnostic approach to psychiatric disorders presents an opportunity to evaluate the relationship between alexithymia and the concepts of psychopathology according to the psychological flexibility model. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between alexithymia, cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance. A total of 133 outpatient participants were included in this cross-sectional study. Sociodemographic Data Form, Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Ten-Item Personality Inventory were used. The non-alexithymic group consisted of 37 participants while the alexithymic group of 26. The alexithymic group had higher scores in terms of depression, anxiety, experiential avoidance, and cognitive fusion. Difficulty in identifying and differentiating feelings and total alexithymia scores had positive correlations with anxiety, experiential avoidance, and cognitive fusion. In hierarchical regression analysis, the only difficulty in identifying feelings was predicted by both experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion. These results revealed that alexithymia might also be conceptualized adopting the psychological flexibility point of view.

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Acknowledgements

Preliminary results of this study were presented at the 52nd National Psychiatric Congress of the Psychiatric Association of Turkey, held in Antalya, Turkey, between November 16-20, 2016.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, Turkey

    Zekiye Celikbas, Sedat Batmaz & Esma Akpinar Aslan

  2. Department of Psychology, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Kaasim Fatih Yavuz

  3. Psychiatry Clinic, Karaman State Hospital, Karaman, Turkey

    Nurgul Yesilyaprak

  4. Psychiatry Clinic, Tokat Dr. Cevdet, Aykan Mental Health and Disorders Hospital, Tokat, Turkey

    Hanife Kocakaya & Meral Oran Demir

  5. Psychiatry Clinic, Ankara Kecioren Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

    Emrah Songur

  6. Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Mesut Yildiz

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  1. Zekiye Celikbas
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  2. Sedat Batmaz
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  3. Kaasim Fatih Yavuz
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Correspondence to Sedat Batmaz.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Celikbas, Z., Batmaz, S., Yavuz, K.F. et al. How are Experiential Avoidance and Cognitive Fusion Associated with Alexithymia?. J Rat-Emo Cognitive-Behav Ther 39, 86–100 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-020-00359-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-020-00359-y

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