The mediating role of alexithymia between earthquake exposure and psychopathology among adolescents 8.5 years after the wenchuan earthquake

Alexithymia refers to difficulties in recognizing and describing one's emotions. We studied potential connections of alexithymia with severity of earthquake exposure, panic/somatic symptoms, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression in 5,195 adolescents affected by the Wenchuan earthquake. Participants completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Children's Revised Impact of Event Scale (CRIES)-13, the abbreviated Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale (KADS), and the panic/somatic subscale of the Screen for Child AnxietyRelated Emotional Disorders. The rate of alexithymia was 6.7%, and a greater proportion females were alexithymic than males (7.6% vs 5.7%). Alexithymia was more frequent among older subjects and those who were only-children. Alexithymia, severity of earthquake exposure and negative life events were independently associated with post-disaster psychological or somatic symptoms, and alexithymia was a mediator between traumatic experiences and psychopathology. Our data highlight the importance of alexithymia in the development of psychological distress, implying that alexithymia-targeted interventions may help treat or even prevent psychological distress after a disaster.