TY - JOUR
T1 - Health consequences of differences in emotional processing and reactivity following the 1997 earthquake in Central Italy
AU - Solano, L.
AU - Zoppi, L.
AU - Barnaba, L.
AU - Fabbrizi, S.
AU - Zani, R.
AU - Murgia, F.
AU - Nicotra, M.
AU - Pennebaker, J. W.
AU - Seagal, J.
PY - 2001
Y1 - 2001
N2 - The aim of the investigation was to assess the effects of individual differences in emotional processing on health outcomes in persons experiencing the 1997 earthquake in Central Italy. Thirty-nine subjects were examined one month after the event with Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Impact of Event Scale (IES) and a short interview. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and scored for Referential Activity (RA), reflecting 'translation' of non-verbal activation into language. Six months after initial assessment, subjects reported their health in that period. Each subject's report was rated on three health dimensions: sickness, how physically sick a subject was; distress, how emotionally distressed a subject was,' illness behaviour, how often a subject went to see the doctor. Multiple regressions were performed: TAS-20 predicted sickness, IES total predicted distress, while both age and RA predicted illness behaviour. Different parallel levels emerge from the data: a 'here and now' level, linking an intrusive and/or avoidant reaction to the earthquake with subjective distress; a 'deeper', 'structural' level linking a trait difficulty in regulating emotions with the occurrence of actual physical disease. The positive correlation of RA with illness behaviour may be interpreted as an index of general activation of a capacity to seek help.
AB - The aim of the investigation was to assess the effects of individual differences in emotional processing on health outcomes in persons experiencing the 1997 earthquake in Central Italy. Thirty-nine subjects were examined one month after the event with Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Impact of Event Scale (IES) and a short interview. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and scored for Referential Activity (RA), reflecting 'translation' of non-verbal activation into language. Six months after initial assessment, subjects reported their health in that period. Each subject's report was rated on three health dimensions: sickness, how physically sick a subject was; distress, how emotionally distressed a subject was,' illness behaviour, how often a subject went to see the doctor. Multiple regressions were performed: TAS-20 predicted sickness, IES total predicted distress, while both age and RA predicted illness behaviour. Different parallel levels emerge from the data: a 'here and now' level, linking an intrusive and/or avoidant reaction to the earthquake with subjective distress; a 'deeper', 'structural' level linking a trait difficulty in regulating emotions with the occurrence of actual physical disease. The positive correlation of RA with illness behaviour may be interpreted as an index of general activation of a capacity to seek help.
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U2 - 10.1080/13548500125133
DO - 10.1080/13548500125133
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0034905976
SN - 1354-8506
VL - 6
SP - 267
EP - 275
JO - Psychology, Health and Medicine
JF - Psychology, Health and Medicine
IS - 3
ER -