Is Alexithymia a Trait or a State? Temporal Stability in a Three-Wave Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Alexithymia is a construct involving deficits in the cognitive processing of emotions. It is often regarded as an important risk factor for a variety of psychopathologies, but there is ongoing uncertainty about whether it might act as a stable trait, or if instead it is just a state reaction to distress. Our aim was to examine absolute and relative stability of alexithymia over a period of 7 months. Methods: Our sample included 73 general community adults who, over three time points, completed the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire-Short Form (PAQ-S) and a battery of self-report questionnaires assessing several key mental health outcomes (i.e., anxiety and depression symptoms, somatic complaints, well-being). Results: Our results showed strong absolute stability for PAQ-S scores, with no significant differences in alexithymia levels between the three time points (p > 0.05, η2 = 0.01, ω2 = 0.00), whereas there were differences in the scores of other mental health outcomes. We also demonstrated good relative stability of alexithymia, with its scores being independent of changes in the other health outcomes. Conclusions: Our findings therefore support the capacity for alexithymia to act as a stable trait. As such, our results help to further uncover the nature of alexithymia and support its status as a risk factor for poor affective outcomes.