Evaluación de la percepción socio-emocional en personas con Alexitimia

Eduardo S. Marti?nez-Vela?zquez; Leopoldo G. Conde-Mota; Gregorio Garci?a-Aguilar

doi:10.24310/espsiescpsi.v13i1.10074

Authors

Eduardo S. Marti?nez-Vela?zquez Beneme?rita Universidad Auto?noma de Puebla, México Mexico https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9570-0920
Leopoldo G. Conde-Mota Beneme?rita Universidad Auto?noma de Puebla, México Mexico
Gregorio Garci?a-Aguilar Beneme?rita Universidad Auto?noma de Puebla, México Mexico

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24310/espsiescpsi.v13i1.10074

Keywords:

Emotional Stroop test, alexithymia, emotional perception, socio-emotional stimuli, emotional regulation

Abstract

Alexithymia has been defined as difficulties in identifying, analysing, and expressing emotional experiences. It has been reported that people with alexithymia have social difficulties and difficulties in perceiving different emotional stimuli. However, the results have not been consistent.

Objective: To identify the effect of socio-emotional words (insults, praise, and neutral words) on the perception of people with high and low levels of alexithymia using an emotional Stroop test.

Method: Participants were 44 undergraduate students. Two groups were formed based on the TAS-20 scale: one group with high GA scores (>61) and the other with low GB scores (<28). The emotional Stroop test was used to assess the perception of socio-emotional stimuli presented in blocks by category. Scores on clinical depression, anxiety, and social phobia scores were recorded.

Results: Reaction times to socio-emotional words were longer in the GA group than those in the GB group. Scores on clinical measures were higher in the GA group than in the GB group.

Conclusions: The results suggest an attentional bias associated with a deficiency in emotional regulation(top-down) when people with alexithymia are presented with socio-emotional words. In addition, scores on the clinical measures suggest an association between alexithymia and clinical symptoms.

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