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Biomedical subjects

M Joukamaa

Publications and source records attributed to M Joukamaa.

61 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Alexithymia in a normal elderly population.

The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of alexithymia in an elderly Finnish population sample. Associations between alexithymia and sociodemographic factors were investigated, together with the relationship between alexithymia and perceived somatic health and self-reported psychic health. The study forms a part of the Turun Vanhustutkimus (TUR-VA) project, which is a longitudinal, prospective follow-up study dealing with psychosocial adaptation to retirement and to old age. The study group consisted of a population sample of 72-year-old people (N = 190). Alexithymia was measured with the 26-item version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-26). The prevalence of alexithymia was 34%. Alexithymia was associated with poor perceived somatic health. Alexithymia was associated with having a psychiatric disturbance (measured by the 36-item General Health Questionnaire [GHQ-36]), but this relationship disappeared when the influence of perceived somatic health was controlled for. Alexithymia was not associated with gender, marital status, social status, or residential area.

Affective Symptoms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Alexithymia, hypochondriacal beliefs, and psychological distress among frequent attenders in primary health care.

Frequent use of health services has been associated with such concepts as alexithymia, hypochondriasis, and psychological distress. The aim of this case-control study was firstly to assess whether alexithymia, hypochondriasis, and psychological distress are associated with frequent attendance and secondly to assess the gender differences of these associations in a primary health care setting. A sample of 304 frequent attenders (eight or more visits during 1 year), including all of the frequent attenders during 1994, and 304 randomly selected age- and sex-matched controls were selected. Half of the sample (every second individual selected in date-of-birth order) was invited for an interview, 113 frequent attenders and 107 controls completed a questionnaire during the interview. Alexithymia was measured with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), hypochondriasis was screened with the Whiteley Index (WI), and Symptom Checklist-36 (SCL-36) was used to determine psychological distress. We found a distinct gender difference in the associations of these characteristics with frequent attending. Significant associations of alexithymia, hypochondriasis, and psychological distress with frequent attending were found among men, but not among women. Alexithymia, hypochondriasis, and psychological distress should be considered when treating frequent attenders, especially males.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of alexithymia in a population sample of young adults.

We examined the prevalence of alexithymia and its associations with sociodemographic factors in a population cohort. The study forms part of the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort. The original material consisted of all 12,058 live-born children in the provinces of Lapland and Oulu in Finland with an expected delivery date during 1966. The material represents 96% of all births in the region. In 1997, a 31-year follow-up study was conducted on a part of the initial sample. The 20-item version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) was given to 5,993 subjects; 84% returned the questionnaire properly answered. It is known that alexithymia is associated with psychological distress. This was measured with the 25-item version of the Hopkins Symptom Check List (HSCL-25). The prevalence of alexithymia (TAS-20 score > 60) was 9.4% in male and 5.2% in female subjects. Alexithymia was associated with poor education and low income level and it was more common among unmarried subjects. After adjusting for psychological distress, these associations remained statistically significant. The prevalence of alexithymia was higher in men than in women and alexithymia was associated with poor social situation. As far as we know, this was the first study to assess the prevalence of alexithymia and its associations with sociodemographic factors in a large and representative cohort sample, adjusted for psychological distress.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The TURVA project: retirement and adaptation in old age.

The TURVA project is a longitudinal, prospective follow-up study dealing with psychosocial adaptation to retirement and, subsequently, to old age. The initial sample consisted of 389 62-year-old individuals drawn from urban and rural areas in 1982. The subjects were examined thoroughly and have been followed-up at 4 and 8 years so far. A developmental approach to the individual's adaptation to new life situations was adopted as the theoretical framework for the study. The first results of the project support the developmental theory when explaining the subject's adaptation in the early years of old age: Psychosocial adjustment can be understood on the basis of the subject's previous life. Preceding somatic and mental health were associated with the individual's actual psychosocial situation before official retirement age. Retirement from work seems not to be a stressful event; on the contrary, it was most often experienced as a positive change. Later adaptation was not so clearly associated with the initial health status.

Adaptation, Psychological↗