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Alexitimia y desregulación emocional: Una revisión narrativa sobre el rol de la interocepción y el apego en la salud mental

Cortes Diaz, Sergio Antonio

Alexithymia and emotional dysregulation: A narrative review of the role of interoception and attachment in mental health



Autores Cortes Diaz, Sergio Antonio
Tema Alexithymia
Tema Emotional regulation
Tema Interoception
Tema Attachment
Tema Mental health
Tema Alexitimia
Tema Regulación emocional
Tema Interocepción
Tema Apego
Tema Salud Mental
Descripción Alexithymia, defined as the difficulty identifying and describing emotions, has become established as a transdiagnostic risk factor associated with various mental disorders. Although its link to psychopathology is known, the regulatory mechanisms explaining this relationship require an updated conceptual integration. The objective of this study was to analyze and synthesize recent scientific evidence regarding the relationship between alexithymia and emotional regulation, identifying underlying explanatory mechanisms and their clinical implications. A narrative review was conducted following the quality criteria of the SANRA scale (Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles). The literature search included regional (SciELO, Redalyc) and international (PubMed, Scopus) databases from 2015 to 2025, selecting 30 relevant articles. Evidence indicates that alexithymia impedes the use of adaptive strategies such as cognitive reappraisal, favoring suppression and affective dysregulation. Interoceptive deficits and insecure attachment are identified as core mechanisms preventing the transformation of physiological signals into emotional awareness. Clinically, this predicts greater anxious-depressive symptomatology and risk behaviors in young populations. It is concluded that alexithymia is not an isolated phenomenon but a deficit of neuropsychological integration, suggesting that therapeutic interventions should incorporate training in interoceptive awareness and emotional granularity to enhance the efficacy of mental health treatments.
Descripción La alexitimia, definida como la dificultad para identificar y describir emociones, se ha consolidado como un factor de riesgo transdiagnóstico asociado a diversos trastornos mentales. Aunque su vínculo con la psicopatología es conocido, los mecanismos regulatorios que explican esta relación requieren una integración conceptual actualizada. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue analizar y sintetizar la evidencia científica reciente sobre la relación entre alexitimia y regulación emocional, identificando los mecanismos explicativos subyacentes y sus implicaciones clínicas. Se realizó una revisión narrativa siguiendo los criterios de calidad de la escala SANRA (Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles). La búsqueda bibliográfica incluyó bases de datos regionales (SciELO, Redalyc) e internacionales (PubMed, Scopus) entre 2015 y 2025, seleccionando 30 artículos relevantes. La evidencia indica que la alexitimia obstaculiza el uso de estrategias adaptativas como la reevaluación cognitiva, favoreciendo la supresión y la desregulación afectiva. Se identifican la interocepción deficitaria y el apego inseguro como mecanismos nucleares que impiden la transformación de las señales fisiológicas en conciencia emocional. Clínicamente, esto predice mayor sintomatología ansioso-depresiva y conductas de riesgo en población joven. Se concluye que la alexitimia no es un fenómeno aislado, sino un déficit de integración neuropsicológica, sugiriéndose que las intervenciones terapéuticas incorporen el entrenamiento en conciencia interoceptiva y granularidad emocional para mejorar la eficacia de los tratamientos en salud mental.
Editorial Universidad Metropolitana de Educación, Ciencia y Tecnología
Fecha 2026-07-30
Tipo info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Tipo info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Formato application/pdf
Formato application/epub+zip
Identificador https://revistas.umecit.edu.pa/index.php/saluta/article/view/2023
Identificador 10.37594/saluta.v1i14.2023
Fuente Saluta; No. 14 (2026): SALUTA July - December 2026; 68-80
Fuente Saluta; Núm. 14 (2026): SALUTA Julio - Diciembre 2026; 68-80
Fuente 2644-4003
Fuente 2519-0342
Fuente 10.37594/saluta.v1i14
Idioma spa
Relación https://revistas.umecit.edu.pa/index.php/saluta/article/view/2023/3106
Relación https://revistas.umecit.edu.pa/index.php/saluta/article/view/2023/3107
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Derechos Derechos de autor 2026 SALUTA
Derechos https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0