Affect School for chronic benign pain patients showed improved alexithymia assessments with TAS-20
(2010) In BioPsychoSocial Medicine 4(5). p.1-10- Abstract
- Background: Alexithymia is a disturbance associated with psychosomatic disorders, pain syndromes, and a variety of
psychiatric disorders. The Affect School (AS) based on Tomkins Affect Theory is a therapy focusing on innate affects and
their physiological expressions, feelings, emotions and scripts. In this pilot study we tried the AS-intervention method
in patients with chronic benign pain.
Methods: The AS-intervention, with 8 weekly group sessions and 10 individual sessions, was offered to 59 patients
with chronic non-malignant pain at a pain rehabilitation clinic in Sweden 2004-2005. Pre and post intervention
assessments were done with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD),... (More) - Background: Alexithymia is a disturbance associated with psychosomatic disorders, pain syndromes, and a variety of
psychiatric disorders. The Affect School (AS) based on Tomkins Affect Theory is a therapy focusing on innate affects and
their physiological expressions, feelings, emotions and scripts. In this pilot study we tried the AS-intervention method
in patients with chronic benign pain.
Methods: The AS-intervention, with 8 weekly group sessions and 10 individual sessions, was offered to 59 patients
with chronic non-malignant pain at a pain rehabilitation clinic in Sweden 2004-2005. Pre and post intervention
assessments were done with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-
20), the Visual Analogue Scale for pain assessment (VAS-pain), the European Quality of Life health barometer (EQoL)
and the Stress and Crisis Inventory-93 (SCI-93). After the group sessions we used Bergdahl's Questionnaire for assessing
changes in interpersonal relations, general well-being and evaluation of AS.
Results: The AS intervention was completed by 54 out of 59 (92%) patients. Significant reductions in total TAS-20 posttest
scores (p = 0.0006) as well as TAS-20 DIF and DDF factors (Difficulties Identifying Feelings, and Difficulties
Describing Feelings) were seen (p = 0.0001, and p = 0.0008) while the EOT factor (Externally Oriented Thinking) did not
change. Improvements of HAD-depression scores (p = 0.04), EQoL (p = 0.02) and self-assessed changes in relations to
others (p < 0.001) were also seen. After Bonferroni Correction for Multiple Analyses the TAS-20 test score reduction was
still significant as well as Bergdahl's test after group sessions. The HAD, EQoL, SCI-93, and VAS-pain scores were not
significantly changed. The AS-intervention was ranked high by the participants.
Conclusions: This pilot study involving 59 patients with chronic benign pain indicates that the alexithymia DIF and
DDF, as well as depression, social relations and quality of life may be improved by the Affect School therapeutic
intervention. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/4814239
- author
- Melin, Eva O LU ; Thulesius, Helle LU and BA, Persson
- organization
- publishing date
- 2010
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- chronic benign pain, alexithymia, depression, anxiety, stress, psychoeducation, Affect School and Script Analysis
- in
- BioPsychoSocial Medicine
- volume
- 4
- issue
- 5
- pages
- 1 - 10
- publisher
- BioMed Central (BMC)
- external identifiers
-
- other:doi: 10.1186/1751-0759-4-5
- scopus:77952983038
- ISSN
- 1751-0759
- DOI
- 10.1186/1751-0759-4-5
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 58bdfd40-0ffb-4026-948a-84e189a63de6 (old id 4814239)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 14:04:34
- date last changed
- 2024-01-13 11:04:33
@article{58bdfd40-0ffb-4026-948a-84e189a63de6,
abstract = {{Background: Alexithymia is a disturbance associated with psychosomatic disorders, pain syndromes, and a variety of<br/><br>
psychiatric disorders. The Affect School (AS) based on Tomkins Affect Theory is a therapy focusing on innate affects and<br/><br>
their physiological expressions, feelings, emotions and scripts. In this pilot study we tried the AS-intervention method<br/><br>
in patients with chronic benign pain.<br/><br>
Methods: The AS-intervention, with 8 weekly group sessions and 10 individual sessions, was offered to 59 patients<br/><br>
with chronic non-malignant pain at a pain rehabilitation clinic in Sweden 2004-2005. Pre and post intervention<br/><br>
assessments were done with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-<br/><br>
20), the Visual Analogue Scale for pain assessment (VAS-pain), the European Quality of Life health barometer (EQoL)<br/><br>
and the Stress and Crisis Inventory-93 (SCI-93). After the group sessions we used Bergdahl's Questionnaire for assessing<br/><br>
changes in interpersonal relations, general well-being and evaluation of AS.<br/><br>
Results: The AS intervention was completed by 54 out of 59 (92%) patients. Significant reductions in total TAS-20 posttest<br/><br>
scores (p = 0.0006) as well as TAS-20 DIF and DDF factors (Difficulties Identifying Feelings, and Difficulties<br/><br>
Describing Feelings) were seen (p = 0.0001, and p = 0.0008) while the EOT factor (Externally Oriented Thinking) did not<br/><br>
change. Improvements of HAD-depression scores (p = 0.04), EQoL (p = 0.02) and self-assessed changes in relations to<br/><br>
others (p < 0.001) were also seen. After Bonferroni Correction for Multiple Analyses the TAS-20 test score reduction was<br/><br>
still significant as well as Bergdahl's test after group sessions. The HAD, EQoL, SCI-93, and VAS-pain scores were not<br/><br>
significantly changed. The AS-intervention was ranked high by the participants.<br/><br>
Conclusions: This pilot study involving 59 patients with chronic benign pain indicates that the alexithymia DIF and<br/><br>
DDF, as well as depression, social relations and quality of life may be improved by the Affect School therapeutic<br/><br>
intervention.}},
author = {{Melin, Eva O and Thulesius, Helle and BA, Persson}},
issn = {{1751-0759}},
keywords = {{chronic benign pain; alexithymia; depression; anxiety; stress; psychoeducation; Affect School and Script Analysis}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{5}},
pages = {{1--10}},
publisher = {{BioMed Central (BMC)}},
series = {{BioPsychoSocial Medicine}},
title = {{Affect School for chronic benign pain patients showed improved alexithymia assessments with TAS-20}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1751-0759-4-5}},
doi = {{10.1186/1751-0759-4-5}},
volume = {{4}},
year = {{2010}},
}