While several theoretical models imply that personality disorders (PD) show an altered cognitive processing of emotions (alexithymia), empirical evidence linking alexithymia with PD is controversial.

investigating whether alexithymia is associated with PD regardless of psychopathology severity.

1) evaluating the association between alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale, TAS-20) and PD, controlling for comorbid psychopathology severity; 2) evaluating whether alexithymia decreases over a 2-year follow-up as a function of the remission of PD, Axis I disorder or their interaction.

167 psychiatric outpatients (56 males) completed the Structured Interviews for DSM-IV Personality and Axis I disorders, the General Severity Index (GSI) of the Symptom- Checklist-90 and the TAS-20. At two-years follow-up, patients who had both an Axis I and II disorder at baseline (n=121) were re-evaluated, and TAS-20 reduction was calculated. The association between PD, TAS scores and severity and presence of Axis I disorders was assessed using Hayes’(2012) bootstrapping procedure for conditional effects.

At baseline PD criteria predicted TAS-20 score at low (CI=.238-1.364, p=.006) and average (CI=.153-.757, p=.003) levels of GSI, but not at high GSI scores (CI=-.174-.393, p=.44). At follow-up, TAS-20 reduction did not differ between non-remitted and remitted PD patients, but was higher among patients remitted from their Axis I conditions. However, the remission from PD was associated with a greater decrease in ‘Externally Oriented Thinking’ for men who still had an Axis I disorder (B=11.95, p=.01, CI= 2.33-21.57).

The relationship between alexithymia and PD could be influenced by comorbid psychopathology severity and gender.