Alexithymia and the anxiolytic effect of endurance running: A painful process.

述情障碍与焦虑症密切相关，因为相关的情绪功能障碍会导致个人无法调节的强烈焦虑。这种调节焦虑的困难会导致对极端情绪调节策略的依赖，比如高风险活动或自残。运动的抗焦虑作用是有据可查的，并且被认为对述情障碍患者具有增强的情绪调节功能。极限耐力跑步与自残有共同的特点，因为有一种内在的自我引起的疼痛。伍德曼和韦尔奇（2020）最近为耐力跑步的情绪调节功能以及疼痛对述情障碍高患者的潜在作用提供了初步支持。在这个项目中，我们的目标是进一步了解耐力跑对述情障碍个体的抗焦虑作用，以及疼痛在这种关系中的作用。本研究还探讨了自残疼痛与耐力跑疼痛的相似之处，以及各自的情绪调节功能。我们将在几项研究中使用定量和定性的方法来实现这些目标。我们将复制Woodman和Welch（2020）研究中的准实验重复测量设计，并解决其局限性，以进一步确定述情障碍个体耐力跑步时焦虑减少与疼痛之间的关系。然后，我们将使用现象学方法来了解述情障碍个体对耐力跑步的焦虑效应的体验以及他们对疼痛作用的感知。除此之外，我们将研究述情障碍个体通过自残来减少焦虑的经历。两种形式的情绪调节之间的共同主题和差异可能会被绘制出来，以提供对述情障碍个体与疼痛关系的过程的深入理解，以及他们将体验疼痛作为情绪调节策略的一部分的潜在动机。该项目将为理解有可能转向适应不良应对策略（如自我伤害）来调节情绪的人群的情绪调节提供有价值的贡献。如果跑步可以为述情障碍个体提供一种低风险和可获得的情绪调节策略，它可能有助于减少高风险策略的流行。

Alexithymia has been strongly linked with anxiety disorders due to the associated emotional dysfunction causing intense anxiety that individuals cannot regulate. This difficulty in regulating anxiety can lead to a dependence on extreme emotion regulation strategies, such as high-risk activities or self-harm. The anxiolytic effect of exercise is well-documented and has been suggested to have an increased emotion regulation function for alexithymic individuals. Extreme endurance running shares characteristics with self-harm in that there is an inherent aspect of self-induced pain. Woodman and Welch (2020) recently provided initial support for the emotion regulation function of endurance running, and the underlying role of pain, for individuals high in alexithymia.In this project, we aim to further the understanding of the anxiolytic effect of endurance running on alexithymic individuals and the role of pain within this relationship. We also aim to investigate the similarities between pain induced by self-harm and pain in endurance running, and the respective emotion regulation functions.We will achieve these aims using a both quantitative and qualitative methodologies over the course of several studies. We will replicate the quasi-experimental repeated measures design from the Woodman and Welch (2020) study with limitations addressed to further establish the relationship between anxiety reduction and pain during endurance running for alexithymic individuals. We will then use a phenomenological methodology to understand alexithymic individuals' experiences of the anxiolytic effect of endurance running and their perceptions of the role of pain. Further to this, we will examine alexithymic individuals' experiences of anxiety reduction via self-harm. Common themes and differences may then be drawn between the two forms of emotion regulation to provide an in-depth understanding of the processes that might underlie alexithymic individuals' relationships with pain and their underlying motives for experiencing pain as part of an emotion regulation strategy.This project will provide a valuable contribution to the understanding of emotion regulation in populations at risk of turning to maladaptive coping strategies, such as self-harm, to regulate their emotions. If running can provide a low-risk and accessible emotion regulation strategy for alexithymic individuals, it may help reduce the prevalence of high-risk strategies.