Alexithymic features in relation to the dexamethasone suppression test in a Finnish population sample.

Hypothesizing that a positive DST result could reflect an aberrant stress reaction in subjects with alexithymic features, the authors investigated the relationship between alexithymic features and DST results in 266 subjects from a Finnish adult population sample. Alexithymic features were assessed with the Beth Israel Questionnaire. The authors found a statistically significant association between observed alexithymic features and a positive DST result. This association could be seen after adjustment separately for age, social rank, marital status, and the occurrence of depression.