Article

Individuals who develop maladaptive coping styles after traumatic
brain injury (TBI) usually experience difficulty expressing their emotional
state, increasing the risk of psychological distress. Difficulties expressing
emotion and identifying feelings are features of alexithymia, which is prevalent
following TBI. OBJECTIVE: To examine the relations among coping styles,
alexithymia, and psychological distress following TBI. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-one
patients with TBI drawn from a head injury clinic population and 54
demographically matched healthy controls. MAIN MEASURES: Toronto Alexithymia
Scale-20, Estonian COPE-D Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory-II, and Beck
Anxiety Inventory. RESULTS: The participants with TBI exhibited significantly
higher rates of alexithymia and psychological distress and lower levels of
task-oriented coping than healthy controls. Levels of avoidance coping and
psychological distress were significantly higher in a subgroup of TBI patients
with alexithymia than in a non-alexithymic TBI subsample. There were significant
relations among alexithymia, avoidance coping, and levels of psychological
distress. Regression analysis revealed that difficulty identifying feelings was a
significant predictor for psychological distress. CONCLUSION: Early screening for
alexithymia following TBI might identify those most at risk of developing
maladaptive coping mechanisms. This could assist in developing early
rehabilitation interventions to reduce vulnerability to later psychological
distress.

Langue : ANGLAIS