Alexithymia, personality and depression in patients with cancer

The study explores whether Cloninger’s variables of personality and Alexithymia are involved in the development of depression, in healthy and oncologic subjects. 124 women participated in the study: 21 with cancer and high levels of depression, 37 with cancer and low levels of depression, 19 healthy with depression, and 47 healthy without depression. The HADS was used to assess depression. Alexithymia was measured by the TAS-20 and personality variables by the TCI. ANCOVA analyses indicate that subjects with high levels of depression show higher Alexithymia and lower Cooperativeness than subjects with low levels of depression, regardless of having cancer. Moreover, results revealed that healthy subjects with high levels of depression show higher levels of Harm-Avoidance and Self-directedness than the remaining groups. While Alexithymia and low Cooperativeness are vulnerability factors to depression, regardless of the clinical condition, Harm-Avoidance and low Self-directedness arise as risk factors of depression only among healthy women.