Alexithymia and Parental Bonding in Women with Genitopelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder

Y Ozay Ozdemir,1 Mine Ergelen,1 Beliz Ozen,2 I Fuat Akgul,3 E Emrem Bestepe1 1University of Health Sciences, Erenkoy Mental Health and Neurological Diseases Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey; 2Marmara University, Pendik Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey; 3Private Office, Istanbul, TurkeyCorrespondence: Y Ozay Ozdemir, University of Health Sciences, Erenkoy Mental Health and Neurological Diseases Education and Research Hospital, Sinan Ercan Cad. No: 29, 34736 Kazasker, Erenkoy-Kadıkoy, Istanbul, Turkey, Tel +9005325154489, Email ozayozdemirmd@gmail.comObjective: The role of emotion regulation and alexithymia in the pathophysiology of genitopelvic pain/penetration disorder (GPPPD) is emphasized. Parental bonding is linked to emotion regulation and alexithymia. This study aimed to examine the relationships between parental bonding, alexithymia, and GPPPD.Patients and Methods: Sixty-four patients with GPPPD were enrolled in the study, and 60 controls were matched for demographic features. Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) was used to evaluate alexithymia, the Bonding to Parents Scale (BPS) was used to assess parental bonding, and sexual functions were assessed via Golombok–Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS).Results: The rate of alexithymic traits was statistically higher in the GPPPD group than in the controls (p = 0.005). Patients with GPPPD obtained higher scores on the maternal care/control (p = 0.003) and maternal overprotection (p = 0.008) compared to controls. Difficulty describing feelings factor of alexithymia (p = 0.012) emerged as a predictor of group membership (GPPPD vs controls). To test whether alexithymia was significantly associated with parental bonding, all subjects were divided into two subgroups, alexithymic and non-alexithymic. When the subgroups were compared in terms of parental attitudes, maternal (p = 0.034) and paternal (p = 0.006) overprotection subscale scores were higher in the alexithymic group than in the non-alexithymic group.Discussion: According to the results, alexithymic traits are characteristic of patients with GPPPD; however, although patients with GPPPD may experience difficulties with perceived parental bonding, this factor does not appear to be a predictor of GPPPD.Keywords: genitopelvic pain, penetration disorder, alexithymia, parental bonding, vaginismus, dyspareuni