Reactividad simpática al estrés inducido experimentalmente en la alexitimia

  1. Martínez-Sánchez, Francisco
  2. Ato García, Manuel
Revista:
Anales de psicología

ISSN: 0212-9728,  1695-2294

Año de publicación: 2011

Volumen: 27

Número: 3

Páginas: 757-762

Tipo: Artículo

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Otras publicaciones en: Anales de psicología

Resumen

La alexitimia describe un trastorno específico del procesamiento emocional que se manifiesta mediante una marcada dificultad para identificar y expresar emociones. El objetivo principal de este trabajo ha sido valorar la relación entre los patrones de activación simpática, medidos mediante la actividad electrodermal, y el nivel de alexitimia, en una situación de estrés inducido experimentalmente en el laboratorio. Se emplearon mujeres jóvenes con niveles altos y bajos de alexitimia, clasificadas mediante las puntuaciones que obtuvieron en el TAS-20. El experimento comprendió seis fases, en las que se evaluó su reactividad simpática en cada una de ellas mediante el empleo del Índice de Sudoración Palmar, un indicador sensible al numero de glándulas ecrinas activas. Los resultados mostraron que en ambos grupos se produjeron incrementos significativos en el número de glándulas sudoríparas activas durante las fases de estrés, así como reducciones en las fases de relajación. Se obtuvieron también diferencias significativas en los que obtuvieron puntuaciones altas y bajas en el TAS-20 durante las distintas fases experimentales, pero no se apreciaron evidencias de intereación entre las fases y los niveles de alexitimia. Los resultados proveen un moderado apoyo a la hipótesis que sostiene que los alexitímicos son más reactivos fisiológicamente al estrés.

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