SynthesisJournal of psychosomatic research2017
Alexithymia in eating disorders: Systematic review and meta-analyses of studies using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale.
Synthesis in Journal of psychosomatic research, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 147 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
CBT-E vs CBT-F+Metacognitive Interpersonal Therapy for Non-underweight Adults With Eating Disorders: Study Protocol for a Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial
Metacognitive Interpersonal Therapy Across Transdiagnostic Eating Disorders Including Underweight: Study Protocol for a Single-arm Pilot Study
Who cites it
147 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Emotion-Related Treatments in Patients With Binge Eating Episodes-a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026Pooled it
- Alexithymia in neurodevelopmental populations: a scoping review of Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, and dual diagnosis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on alexithymia: a systematic review.Evidence-based mental health · 2019Pooled it
- Cognitive and Affective Empathy in Eating Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2019Pooled it
- Investigating alexithymia in autism: A systematic review and meta-analysis.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2019Pooled it
- The impact of oxytocin on emotion recognition and trust: Does disordered eating moderate these relationships?PloS one · 2024Trial
- Trial
- A Novel Transdiagnostic Approach to the Prevention of Eating Disorders Using Virtual Reality: Preliminary Evaluation of the H.O.M.E. Intervention.Clinical psychology & psychotherapyTrial
- Considering Autism in Binge-Type Eating Disorders: Broadening Beyond an Anorexia Nervosa-Focused Model.Current psychiatry reports · 2026Review
- Care approaches for people with longstanding eating disorders: a lived experience perspective on the need for recovery-fostering care.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- Prevalence and Clinical Correlates of Autistic Traits Across Eating Disorder Diagnoses: A Retrospective Analysis of Clinical Service Data.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Alexithymia in Anorexia Nervosa, More State Than Trait? A Multi-Dimensional Assessment of Emotion Processing in Patients With Anorexia Nervosa, Recovered Patients and Healthy Controls.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2026Article
- The Relationship Between Interoception, Alexithymia, Autistic Traits and Eating Pathology in Autistic Adults.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Associations of alexithymia, psychological problems, and emotion regulation difficulties with disordered eating behaviors in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.Dusunen adam : Bakirkoy Ruh ve Sinir Hastaliklari Hastanesi yayin organi · 2026Article
- The association between maladaptive daydreaming and eating and obsessive-compulsive disorders in the general population: the mediating role of alexithymia.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2026Article
- Adult attachment insecurity and uncertain reflective functioning as mediators between traumatic experiences and alexithymia in young adults: a structural equation modeling approach.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Feeling more than understanding: empathic disequilibrium and emotional reactivity in eating psychopathology.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- Independent role of alexithymia on weight loss outcomes in obese women: a six month follow-up study.BMC women's health · 2026Article
- From Self-Esteem to Symptoms: A Potential Role for Difficulties Accessing Internal States and Body-Checking Behavior in Disordered Eating Patterns.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- PTSD Symptoms Are Associated with a Greater Use of Social Camouflaging Strategies in an Eating Disorder Sample with Elevated Autistic Traits.Brain sciences · 2026Article
87 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe aim of this review was to synthesise the literature on the use of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) in eating disorder populations and Healthy Controls (HCs) and to compare TAS scores in these groups.
methodElectronic databases were searched systematically for studies using the TAS and meta-analyses were performed to statistically compare scores on the TAS between individuals with eating disorders and HCs.
resultsForty-eight studies using the TAS with both a clinical eating disorder group and HCs were identified. Of these, 44 were included in the meta-analyses, separated into: Anorexia Nervosa; Anorexia Nervosa, Restricting subtype; Anorexia Nervosa, Binge-Purge subtype, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder. For all groups, there were significant differences with medium or large effect sizes between the clinical group and HCs, with the clinical group scoring significantly higher on the TAS, indicating greater difficulty with identifying and labelling emotions.
conclusionAcross the spectrum of eating disorders, individuals report having difficulties recognising or describing their emotions. Given the self-report design of the TAS, research to develop and evaluate treatments and clinician-administered assessments of alexithymia is warranted.
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Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.