Is alexithymia related to cannabis use disorder? Results from a case-control study in outpatient adolescent cannabis abusers
Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2017-04-01; 95: 74-80
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.02.012
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1. J Psychosom Res. 2017 Apr;95:74-80. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.02.012.
Epub 2017 Feb 27.
Is alexithymia related to cannabis use disorder? Results from a case-control
study in outpatient adolescent cannabis abusers.
Dorard G(1), Bungener C(2), Phan O(3), Edel Y(4), Corcos M(5), Berthoz S(6).
Author information:
(1)Laboratoire de Psychopathologie et Processus de Santé EA 4057, Institut
Universitaire Paris Descartes de Psychologie, Université Paris Descartes,
Sorbonne Paris Cité, 71 avenue Édouard Vaillant, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt,
France. Electronic address: .
(2)Laboratoire de Psychopathologie et Processus de Santé EA 4057, Institut
Universitaire Paris Descartes de Psychologie, Université Paris Descartes,
Sorbonne Paris Cité, 71 avenue Édouard Vaillant, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt,
France. Electronic address: .
(3)Clinique Dupré, FSEF, 30 avenue Franklin Roosevelt, BP 101, 92333 Sceaux
cedex, France; CJC Pierre Nicole, Croix-Rouge Française, 27 rue Pierre Nicole,
75005 Paris, France; CESP, Université Paris-Sud, Cochin-Maison des Adolescents,
97 Boulevard Port Royal, 75014 Paris, France.. Electronic address:
.
(4)Equipe d’addictologie hospitalière de liaison et de soins (ELSA), Hôpital de
la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47-83 boulevard de l’Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France.
Electronic address: .
(5)Département de psychiatrie de l’adolescent et du jeune adulte, Institut
Mutualiste Montsouris, 42 Bd Jourdan, 75014 Paris, France. Electronic address:
.
(6)CESP, Université Paris-Sud, Cochin-Maison des Adolescents, 97 Boulevard Port
Royal, 75014 Paris, France.; Département de psychiatrie de l’adolescent et du
jeune adulte, Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, 42 Bd Jourdan, 75014 Paris,
France. Electronic address: .
OBJECTIVE: In recent decades, alexithymia has been considered a risk factor for
multiple somatic and psychiatric conditions. Yet, whereas alexithymia has been
extensively studied in adults with a substance misuse, only one study has
reported data on cannabis abusers from the general population. Hence, our main
objective was to explore alexithymia in a clinical sample of treatment-seeking
young outpatients with a DSM-IV cannabis dependence or abuse diagnosis compared
to controls.
METHODS: 120 young patients (95 males – mean age 17.9years (SD=2.8; 14 to 25))
with a cannabis dependence or abuse (DSM-IV-TR criteria evaluated with the
MINI), seeking treatment in an addiction unit, and 110 healthy control subjects
(77 males – mean age 18.2years (SD=3.4; 14 to 25)) participated in the study.
They completed a battery of self-reports measuring alexithymia (TAS-20; BVAQ-B),
depression (BDI-13) and state and trait anxiety (STAI).
RESULTS: 35.3% of cannabis users were alexithymic, and logistic regression
analysis showed that the alexithymic components of difficulties identifying and
describing feelings combined with trait anxiety predicted group membership.
CONCLUSION: This first study on young cannabis abusers and dependent subjects
further emphasizes the importance of considering the affective style, and
particularly the anxious temperament and alexithymia features, as factors
associated with substance misuse during late adolescence.
Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.02.012
PMID: 28314553 [Indexed for MEDLINE]