Abstract

This study comprehensively compares and analyzes psychological interventions aimed at reducing alexithymia. To achieve this, a systematic literature review was conducted using the PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, NDSL, DBpia, and Riss databases. A total of 22 studies met the inclusion criteria, and a meta-analysis was performed on 11 additional studies that provided pre- and post-treatment means and standard deviations. Among the 22 studies, 19 (86.36%) reported a significant decrease in alexithymia following the interventions. Follow-up studies indicated sustained effects in 7 out of 10 (70%) of these studies. The meta-analysis revealed that psychological interventions had a high effect size (SMD -1.06, 95% CI -1.50 to -0.62, p < .00001). Group comparisons showed that both the clinical group (SMD -1.44, 95% CI -2.19 to -0.69, p = .0002) and the alexithymia group (SMD -1.43, 95% CI -2.74 to -0.13, p = .03) exhibited high effect sizes, while the non-clinical group showed a relatively low effect size (SMD -0.30, 95% CI -0.50 to -0.10, p = .003). Follow-up studies indicated high effect sizes at both 4 weeks (SMD -1.73, 95% CI -2.80 to -0.65, p = .002) and 6 weeks (SMD -0.63, 95% CI -0.99 to -0.27, p = .0006), confirming that the effects of psychological interventions persisted for approximately six weeks. Unlike previous research, this study highlights a lack of psychological interventions addressing alexithymia in the context of physical illness. Future research should actively explore the relationship between reducing alexithymia in physical illness and pain reduction. Only two psychological interventions specifically targeting alexithymia were identified, and they did not differ significantly from existing interventions. Future studies should focus on developing face-to-face group programs that teach a variety of skills necessary for recognizing and expressing emotional experiences. The findings of this study reaffirm that psychological interventions can effectively reduce alexithymia. This research is significant as it analyzes various psychological interventions for alexithymia and presents a comprehensive assessment of their effectiveness.