Iranian Biomedical Journal

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Can Personality Traits Be Linked to the Development of Alexithymia? Findings from a Cross-Sectional Study

Maedeh Rahimi, Fatemeh Zarimeidani, Hedieh Sadat Bahreini, Atena Kadkhodaei, Rahem Rahmati, Hadi Raeisi Shahraki,
Volume 28, Issue 0 (12-2024)

Abstract

Introduction: Scientists have discovered that alexithymia poses a significant challenge for students, surpassing other academic and non-academic issues. Its non-clinical nature implies that individuals afflicted with this condition often fail to realize they are experiencing a problem unless they possess sufficient mental health awareness and understanding. Therefore, this research aimed to explore the correlation between students' personality traits and alexithymia within the student population.
Methods and Materials: Following the approval from the ethics committee, for this cross-sectional investigation, a total of 290 students enrolled in the first semester of the 2019-2020 academic year at Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences was chosen using a multi-stage cluster sampling approach. Standardized questionnaires, specifically the NEO-FFI (Five Factor Model) and the TAS-20 (Toronto Alexithymia Scale), were employed to assess alexithymia and personality traits. To compare the scores of various personality traits between students with and without alexithymia, an independent t-test using SPSS 21.0 software was conducted. Additionally, the logistic regression model was utilized to examine the adjusted associations.
Results: Among 290 students, the average age of the participants in this study was 22.6 + 3.8 years. Most students were female (77.9%) and single (88.5%). Based on the TAS-20 assessment, 43.8% exhibited symptoms of alexithymia. Among these students, the neuroticism trait was significantly higher than the non-alexithymic students (27.20 ± 3.90 versus 25.48 ± 4.90; p = 0.01), indicating a greater tendency toward emotional instability. Additionally, the average score for the conscientiousness trait was significantly higher in the alexithymic students (20.16 ± 3.84 versus 21.58 ± 5.00; p = 0.01), suggesting a greater inclination towards being organized and responsible. The logistic regression analysis results indicated that for each unit increase in the neuroticism trait, there was a 10% increase in the odds of experiencing alexithymia. Conversely, for each unit increase in the score of conscientiousness trait, there was an 8% decrease in the odds of experiencing alexithymia.
Conclusion and Discussion: Given the notable correlation between personality traits and alexithymia, improving screening methods and intervention programs focusing on personality traits can help prevent or alleviate the symptoms among university students. Targeted interventions can be developed to support and assist students experiencing this condition by identifying and addressing specific personality traits associated with alexithymia.

Effectiveness of an Evidence-Based Home Care Intervention on Treatment Outcomes for Schizophrenia Patients: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Amirhossein Khakbaz, Ali Akbari, Nahid Naseri, Sajad Vosoughi, Nazanin Fard Moghadam,
Volume 28, Issue 0 (12-2024)

Abstract

Introduction: Schizophrenia is a disabling chronic disorder with a complex and persistent nature that has resulted in limited treatment success. The first-line treatment for these patients has been medication, which has been somewhat successful in controlling symptoms; however, most of these patients require rehospitalization. This review study aimed to examine the effectiveness of evidence-based home care interventions for patients with schizophrenia.
Search Strategy: This is a systematic review conducted in 2024 by analyzing articles from databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science, Medline, and PsycINFO. Keywords such as "schizophrenia", "evidence-based", "home care", "psychiatric care", "treatment outcome", and "randomized controlled trial" were searched in both English and Persian. The search was conducted from the beginning to March 2024. Initially, 221 studies were identified in the identification stage. Then, 197 articles were excluded in the screening stage, and 41 remained after the eligibility assessment. After further review, 24 articles that met the inclusion criteria were included in the review. The PRISMA checklist was used to enhance the reporting of the findings. Also, all short articles and review articles for which full versions were unavailable for any reason were excluded from the analysis.
Results: Twenty-four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examined the effectiveness of home-based care (HBC) for individuals with schizophrenia. Findings demonstrated that HBC interventions significantly reduced symptom severity, duration, and readmission rates. Additionally, these interventions led to meaningful improvements in positive, negative, and general psychopathology symptoms one year after discharge. The efficacy of these interventions extended beyond patients to encompass broader aspects, including reduced caregiver burden and healthcare costs. Improved medication adherence, enhanced psychosocial support, and early identification and intervention of relapse were underlying mechanisms of the favorable treatment outcomes.
Conclusion and Discussion: Strong evidence from RCTs demonstrates that home care intervention is a practical and cost-effective treatment intervention for patients with schizophrenia, leading to significant improvements in both clinical and economic outcomes home care intervention should be considered as an alternative or complementary treatment option to traditional hospital-based care.

Global and Domain-Specific Cognitive Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis Patients Based on Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery

Sepideh Seyedi Sahebari, Mahnaz Talebi, Amirreza Naseri, Maliheh Talebi,
Volume 28, Issue 0 (12-2024)

Abstract

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. Findings have shown that cognitive impairment in the early stages of the disease may appear as the first symptom of MS. Cognitive disorders can affect up to 70% of patients and are present in 40-20% of patients in the early stages of the disease. Memory, processing speed, attention, episodic memory, and executive functions are the cognitive domains that are primarily impaired in MS patients. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the global and domain-specific cognitive impairment in MS patients based on the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB).
Methods and Materials: In this cross-sectional study, 124 MS patients who visited the outpatient neurology clinics of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences between 2022 and 2023 were included. CANTAB was used to evaluate the patients cognitively. In addition to the Motor Screening Task, four nonverbal cognitive subtests from the CANTAB were utilized: paired-associate learning, rapid visual information processing to assess sustained attention and reaction time, and the Spatial Working Memory test, which measures participants’ ability to retain and manipulate visuospatial information. Impaired functions in at least three domains were defined as cognitive impairment. The statistical analysis was carried out through the 23^rd version of SPSS. The normality of distributions was assessed using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, and based on the normality, numeric values were reported in mean ± SD or median (quartiles) and compared using the independent sample t-test or Mann-Whitney U test. Categorical variables were reported in number (percentage) and compared using the chi-square test.
Results: Among 124 MS patients with a median age of 31 (26.25-37.75) years, 93 (75%) were female, and 49 (39.5%) were cognitively impaired. The disease phenotype was relapsing-remitting phenotype in 112 (90.3%) patients. Regarding sex, there was not any significant difference between the two groups of cognitively impaired (females: 40 [81.6%]) and cognitively intact patients (females: 53 [70.7%]), with a p value of 0.16. There was a significant difference in age of patients between the two groups (cognitively impaired: 37 [24-44]; cognitively not impaired: 28 [24-34.5]; p = 0.01). Also, the progressive form of the disease was more frequent in the cognitively impaired group (16.3% vs. 5.3%; p = 0.04). We could not find a statistically significant difference regarding disease duration between the two study groups (cognitively impaired: 120 [36-165] months; cognitively not impaired: 48 [21-108]), with a p value of 0.08.
Conclusion and Discussion: MS who are older and have a progressive form of the disease exhibit a higher prevalence of neuropsychiatric dysfunctions. However, gender does not affect these dysfunctions. We could not find a relationship between disease duration and cognitive impairment in this study, which could be due to the small sample size.

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