Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-09T16:08:37.421Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Parental bonding and alexithymia: A meta-analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

F.A. Thorberg ,
R.McD. Young ,
K.A. Sullivan  and
M. Lyvers
F.A. Thorberg*
Affiliation:
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, Faculty of Health, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
R.McD. Young
Affiliation:
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia
K.A. Sullivan
Affiliation:
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
M. Lyvers
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Bond University, Queensland, Gold Coast, Australia
*
*Corresponding author. Tel.: +61 7 3138 6161; fax: +61 7 3138 6039. E-mail address: [email protected] (F.A. Thorberg).
Get access

Abstract

Aim

The primary purpose of this meta-analysis was to explore, clarify and report the strength of the relationship between alexithymia, as measured by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and parenting style as measured by the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI).

Methods

Web of Science, PsycInfo, PubMed and ProQuest: Dissertations and Theses searches were undertaken, yielding nine samples with sufficient data to be included in the meta-analysis.

Results

Evidence indicated moderate to strong relationships between maternal care and alexithymia, and between maternal care and two of the three TAS-20 alexithymia facets (Difficulties Describing Feelings and Difficulties Identifying Feelings, but not Externally Oriented Thinking). Moderate relationships were observed for both maternal- and paternal-overprotection and alexithymia respectively, and for overprotection (both maternal and paternal) and Difficulties Describing Feelings.

Conclusion

This study is the first meta-analysis of the relationship between parenting styles and alexithymia, and findings confirm an especially strong association between maternal care and key elements of alexithymia. This review highlights the issues that still remain to be addressed in exploring the link between parenting style and alexithymia.

Keywords

Parental bondingParenting styleAlexithymiaMeta-analysisReviewAffect dysregulation
Type
Review
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 26 , Issue 3 , April 2011 , pp. 187 - 193
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier Masson SAS 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agostini, A, Rizzello, F, Ravegnani, G, Gionchetti, P, Tambasco, R, Ercolani, M, et al.Parental bonding and inflammatory bowel disease. Psychosomatics 2008; 51: 14–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ainsworth, MDS, Blehar, MC, Waters, E, Wall, S. Patterns of attachment: a psychological study of the strange situation. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers; 1978.Google Scholar
Aoto, M, Fukunishi, I, Baba, T, Matsumori, M, Iwai, MAlexithymia and sociocultural factors in a Japanese sample: a study with the Rorschach. Psychol Rep 2002; 90: 205–211.Google Scholar
Bagby, RM, Parker, JDA, Taylor, GJThe twenty-item Toronto alexithymia scale: I. Item selection and cross-validation of the factor structure. J Psycho Res 1994; 38: 23–32.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bagby, RM, Taylor, GJ, Parker, JDAThe twenty-item Toronto alexithymia scale: II. Convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity. J Psycho Res 1994; 38: 33–40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bagby, RM, Taylor, GJ, Quilty, LC, Parker, JDAReexamining the factor structure of the 20-item Toronto alexithymia scale: commentary on Gignac, Palmer, and Stough. J Personal Disord 2007; 89: 258–264.Google ScholarPubMed
Berthoz, S, Perdereau, F, Godart, N, Corcos, M, Haviland, MGObserver- and self-rated alexithymia in eating disorder patients: levels and correspondence among three measures. J Psycho Res 2007; 62: 341–347.Google ScholarPubMed
Bowlby, JAttachment and loss Vol. I New York, NY, US: Basic Books; 1969.Google Scholar
Bowlby, JAttachment and loss: separation anxiety and anger Vol. 2 London: Hogarth Press; 1973.Google Scholar
Cohen, JStatistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. 2nd ed.Hillsdale, NJ, England:Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc;1988.Google Scholar
De Panfilis, C, Rabbaglio, P, Rossi, C, Zita, G, Maggini, CBody image disturbance, parental bonding and alexithymia in patients with eating disorders. Psychopharmacologia 2003; 36: 239–246.Google ScholarPubMed
Egger, M, Smith, GDMeta-analysis - bias in location and selection of studies. Br Med J 1998; 316: 61–66.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fukunishi, IEating attitudes in female college students with self-reported alexithymic characteristics. Psychol Rep 1998; 82: 35–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fukunishi, I, Hosaka, T, Berger, DSociocultural differences on hostility in alexithymic persons. Psychol Rep 1995; 77: 253–254.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fukunishi, I, Kawamura, N, Ishikawa, T, Ago, Y, Sei, H, Morita, Y, et al.Mothers’ low care in the development of alexithymia: a preliminary study in Japanese college students. Psychol Rep 1997; 80: 143–146.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fukunishi, I, Nakagawa, T, Nakamura, H, Kikuchi, M, Takubo, MIs alexithymia a culture-bound construct? Validity and reliability of the Japanese versions of the 20-item Toronto alexithymia scale and modified Beth Israel Hospital Psychosomatic Questionnaire. Psychol Rep 1997; 80: 787–799.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fukunishi, I, Sei, H, Morita, Y, Rahe, RHSympathetic activity in alexithymics with mother's low care. J Psycho Res 1999; 46: 579–589.Google ScholarPubMed
Fukunishi, I, Tsuruta, T, Hirabayashi, N, Asukai, NAssociation of alexithymic characteristics and posttraumatic stress responses following medical treatment for children with refractory hematological diseases. Psychol Res 2001; 89: 527–534.Google ScholarPubMed
Grotmol, KS, Ekeberg, O, Finset, A, Gude, T, Moum, T, Vaglun, P, et al.Parental bonding and self-esteem as predictors of severe depressive symptoms. A 10-year follow-up study of Norwegian physicians. J Nerv Ment Dis 2010; 198: 22–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ham, BJ, Lee, MS, Lee, YM, Kim, MK, Choi, MJ, Oh, KS, et al.Association between the catechol O-methyltransferase Val108/158Met polymorphism and alexithymia. Neuropsychologia 2005; 52: 151–154.Google ScholarPubMed
Higgins, JPT, Thompson, SGQuantifying heterogeneity in a meta-analysis. Stem Cells 2002; 21: 1539–1558.Google ScholarPubMed
Higgins, JPT, Thompson, SG, Deeks, JJ, Altman, DGMeasuring inconsistency in meta-analyses. Br Med J 2003; 327: 557–560.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hunter, JE, Schmidt, FLFixed effects vs. random effects meta-analysis models: Implications for cumulative research knowledge. Int J Select and Assess 2000; 8: 275–292.Google Scholar
Ihle, W, Jahnke, D, Heerwagen, A, Neuperdt, CDepression, anxiety, and eating disorders and recalled parental rearing behavior. Kindh und Entwick 2005; 14: 30–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jolliffe, D, Farrington, DPEmpathy and offending: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Aggres Violen Behav 2004; 9: 441–476.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jorgensen, MM, Zachariae, R, Skytthe, A, Kyvik, KGenetic and environmental factors in alexithymia: a population-based study of 8,785 Danish Twin pairs. Psychother Psychsom 2007; 76: 369–375.Google ScholarPubMed
Kooiman, CG, Spinhoven, P, Trijsburg, RW, Rooijmans, HGMPerceived parental attitude, alexithymia and defence style in psychiatric outpatients. Psychother Psychsom 1998; 67: 81–87.Google Scholar
Kooiman, CG, Van Rees Vellinga, S, Spinhoven, P, Draijer, N, Trijsburg, RW, Rooijmans, HGMChildhood adversities as risk factors for alexithymia and other aspects of affect dysregulation in adulthood. Psychother Psychsom 2004; 73: 107–116.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krystal, H, Krystal, JHIntegration and self-healing: affect, trauma, alexithymia. Hilldale, NJ, US: Analytic Press, Inc: 1988Google Scholar
Lane, RD, Ahern, GL, Schwartz, GE, Kaszniak, AWIs alexithymia the emotional equivalent of blindsight? Biol Psychiatry 1997; 42: 834–844.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lane, RD, Reiman, EM, Axelrod, B, Yun, LS, Holmes, A, Schwartz, GENeural correlates of levels of emotional awareness: evidence of an interaction between emotion and attention in the anterior cingulate cortex. J Collect Negotiations Public Sect 1998; 10: 525–535.Google ScholarPubMed
Lipsey, MW, Wilson, DBPractical meta-analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA, US: Sage Publications, Inc: 2001Google Scholar
Lumley, MA, Mader, C, Gramzow, J, Papineau, KFamily factors related to alexithymia characteristics. Psychosomatics 1996; 58: 211–216.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mason, O, Tyson, M, Jones, C, Potts, SAlexithymia: its prevalence and correlates in a British undergraduate sample. Psych Psychother Theory Res Pract 2005; 78: 113–125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mulrow, CDSystematic reviews - rationale for systematic reviews. Br Med J 1994; 309: 597–599.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Myers, LB, Brewin, CR, Winter, DARepressive coping and self-reports of parenting. Br J Clin Psychol 1999; 38: 73–82.Google ScholarPubMed
Nemiah, JCAlexithymia: theoretical considerations. Psychother Psychsom 1977; 28: 199–206.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nemiah, JC, Freyberger, H, Sifneos, PEAlexithymia: a view of the psychosomatic process.Hill, OModern trends in psychosomatic medicine London: Butterworths; 1976.Google Scholar
Ng, TT, McGory, ML, Ko, CY, Maggard, MAMeta-analysis in surgery - methods and limitations. Arch Surg 2006; 141: 1125–1130.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Normand, SLTTutorial in biostatistics. Meta-analysis: formulating, evaluating, combining, and reporting. Stem Cells 1999; 18: 321–359.Google Scholar
Parker, GThe parental bonding instrument: psychometric properties revised. Psychiatr Genet 1989; 4: 317–335.Google Scholar
Parker, G, Tupling, H, Brown, LBA parental bonding instrument. Br J Med Psychol 1979; 52: 1–10.Google Scholar
Parker, G, Roussos, J, Hadzi-Pavlovic, D, Mitchell, P, Wilhelm, K, Austin, MPThe development of a refined measure of dysfunctional parenting and assessment of its relevance in patients with affective disorders. Psychol Med 1997; 27: 1193–1203.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parker, JDA, Taylor, GJ, Bagby, RMThe 20-item Toronto alexithymia scale - III. Reliability and factorial validity in a community population. J Psycho Res 2003; 55: 269–275.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parker, JDA, Shaughnessy, PA, Wood, LM, Majeski, SA, Eastabrook, JMCross-cultural alexithymia: validity of the 20-item Toronto alexithymia scale in North American aboriginal populations. J Psycho Res 2005; 58: 83–88.Google ScholarPubMed
Pedrosa, F, Weigl, M, Wessels, T, Irnich, D, Baumueller, E, Winkelmann, AParental bonding and alexithymia in adults with fibromyalgia. Psychosomatics J Cons L Psychiatry 2008; 49: 115–122.Google Scholar
Petitti, DBApproaches to heterogeneity in meta-analysis. Stem Cells 2001; 20: 3625–3633.Google ScholarPubMed
Raskin, A, Boothe, HH, Reatig, NA, Schulterbrandt, JG, Odle, DFactor analyses of normal and depressed patients’ memories of parental behavior. Psychol Rep 1971; 29: 871–879.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roe, A, Siegelman, MA parent-child questionnaire. Child Dev 1963; 34: 355–369.Google ScholarPubMed
Rosenthal, RThe file drawer problem and tolerance for null results. Psychol Issues 1979; 86: 638–641.Google Scholar
Ruesch, JThe infantile personality; the core problem of psychosomatic medicine. Psychosomatics 1948; 10: 134–144.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sifneos, PEThe prevalence of ‘alexithymic’ characteristics in psychosomatic patients. Psychother Psychsom 1973; 22: 255–262.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sroufe, LA, Fleeson, JAttachment and the construction of relationships.Hartup, WRubin, ZRelationships and development Hillsdale, NJ:Erlbaum;1986 51–71.Google Scholar
Sterne, JAC, Egger, M, Smith, GDSystematic reviews in health care - investigating and dealing with publication and other biases in meta-analysis. Br Med J 2001; 323: 101–105.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor, GJ, Bagby, RMNew trends in alexithymia research. Psychother Psychsom 2004 68–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor, GJ, Bagby, RM, Parker, JDADisorders of affect regulation: alexithymia in medical and psychiatric illness. Cambridge (UK): Cambridge University Press: 1997CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, GJ, Bagby, RM, Parker, JDAThe 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale IV. Reliability and factorial validity in different languages and cultures. J Psycho Res 2003; 55: 277–283.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thornton, A, Lee, PPublication bias in meta-analysis: its causes and consequences. J Clin Epidemiol 2000; 53: 207–216.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zeitlin, S, McNally, RAlexithymia and anxiety sensitivity in panic disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. Am J Psychiatry 150 1993 658Google ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.