Alexithymia in Chronic Bronchitis/Emphysema: Personality Characteristics and Illness Attitudes

Personality characteristics and illness attitudes of alexithymic and nonalexithymic chronic bronchitis/emphysema patients were assessed using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) along with supplementary scales and the Respiratory Illness Opinion Survey (RIOS). Two validity scales, three clinical scales and one supplementary scale from the MMPI along with one illness attitude category from the RIOS discriminated alexithymic and nonalexithymic patients. These findings are disparate from those observed in an asthmatic population and point to an interplay between illness type and alexithymia in terms of personality and illness attitudes.