Is alexithymia related to cannabis use disorder? Results from a case-control study in outpatient adolescent cannabis abusers

- Studies on alexithymia among adolescent substance abusers are scarce.
- 35.3% of the young outpatients with problematic cannabis use are alexithymic.
- Difficulties in identifying and describing feelings are associated with cannabis problematic use.
- Trait anxiety differentiates cannabis abusers from control participants.

ObjectiveIn recent decades, alexithymia has been considered a risk factor for multiple somatic and psychiatric conditions. Yet, whereas alexithymia has been extensively studied in adults with a substance misuse, only one study has reported data on cannabis abusers from the general population. Hence, our main objective was to explore alexithymia in a clinical sample of treatment-seeking young outpatients with a DSM-IV cannabis dependence or abuse diagnosis compared to controls.Methods120 young patients (95 males - mean age 17.9 years (SD = 2.8; 14 to 25)) with a cannabis dependence or abuse (DSM-IV-TR criteria evaluated with the MINI), seeking treatment in an addiction unit, and 110 healthy control subjects (77 males - mean age 18.2 years (SD = 3.4; 14 to 25)) participated in the study. They completed a battery of self-reports measuring alexithymia (TAS-20; BVAQ-B), depression (BDI-13) and state and trait anxiety (STAI).Results35.3% of cannabis users were alexithymic, and logistic regression analysis showed that the alexithymic components of difficulties identifying and describing feelings combined with trait anxiety predicted group membership.ConclusionThis first study on young cannabis abusers and dependent subjects further emphasizes the importance of considering the affective style, and particularly the anxious temperament and alexithymia features, as factors associated with substance misuse during late adolescence.