Network analysis of association between alexithymia and cognitive-emotional regulation strategies in older adults with chronic co-morbidities in communities
Objective:To explore core and bridge nodes in a network of alexithymia and cognitive emotion regulation strategies in older adults with chronic co-morbidities in the communities.Methods:Totally 436 older a-dults with chronic co-morbidities in the communities were selected and surveyed with the Toronto alexithymia Scale(TAS)and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire(CERQ).Network estimation,centrality and predictability measurements,accuracy and stability validation,and network comparisons based on the R language were performed to identify core and bridge nodes in the network and to compare differences in network structure across gender and residence.Results:Catastrophizing was the highest strength node in the network(strength=1.28)and was identi-fied as a core node.The difficulty identifying feelings had the highest bridge strength(bridge strength=0.52),fol-lowed by the externally oriented thoughts(bridge strength=0.48),and blaming oneself(bridge strength=0.41)were identified as bridge nodes.The results of the network comparison test showed that the differences in the struc-ture of the network of alexithymia and cognitive emotion regulation strategies among older adults with chronic co-morbidities across gender and place of residence were not statistically significant(P＞0.05),but the nodes within the network were tightly connected.Conclusion:Older adults with chronic co-morbidities use catastrophizing as a primary cognitive-emotional regulation strategy.Difficulty identifying feelings,externally oriented thoughts and self-blame as the main ways in which their alexithymia are connected to cognitive-emotional regulation strategies.
万方数据
维普
