Michael Lyvers
Biographic Data
| ID | 4227334 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Michael Lyvers |
| GIVEN NAMES | Michael |
| FAMILY NAME | Lyvers |
| SIGNATURE | LYVERS M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Bond University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8355-3182 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 29 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 29 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2005 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
The Externally Oriented Thinking Facet of Alexithymia Mediates the Negative Association of ASD Symptoms With Cognitive and Emotional Empathy
Empathy deficits associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be attributable to alexithymia, which is common in ASD. Alexithymia is defined by deficient emotional self‐awareness and an overly concrete or externally oriented cognitive style. The present study examined this hypothesis, with a focus on the externally oriented thinking (EOT) facet of alexithymia which was previously found to be uniquely associated with deficits in facial recog…
Alexithymia, Reward Sensitivity and Internet Addiction Symptoms
Previous work implicated alexithymia and reward sensitivity as risk factors for excessive internet use (internet addiction [IA]). Both personality traits have been linked to deficits of frontal lobe executive self‐regulation. The present study proposed that frontal dysfunction underlies the links of alexithymia and reward sensitivity with IA symptoms, while also assessing negative mood as another potential mediator. An online sample of 310 intern…
Alexithymia and aspects of dreaming
Research on aspects of dreaming associated with alexithymia has yielded mixed results. The present study recruited a young adult online sample of 577 participants who completed validated indices of alexithymia, emotion suppression, negative moods, and eight aspects of dreaming, with a focus on evaluating a counterintuitive previous finding that alexithymia and two of its core facets were associated with greater self‐reported typical emotional int…
Adult symptoms of ASD in relation to excessive internet use
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been reportedly associated with excessive internet use, also known as internet addiction. As ADHD is the most common comorbidity in ASD, the present study examined the possibility that ADHD symptoms, and/or trait and mood factors linked to ASD, ADHD and internet addiction, could account for the association of ASD with internet addiction symptoms. A nonclinical…
Alexithymia, reward sensitivity and excessive exercise in non-binge-eaters versus severe binge eaters
A distinction has been made between primary and secondary exercise dependence, with the latter defined as excessive exercise secondary to disordered eating and weight concerns. Based on theoretical considerations from research on the roles of trait factors in addictions, the present study used validated scales to assess alexithymia, sensitivity to reward and punishment, emotion regulation and interoception in relation to exercise dependence sympt…
Alexithymia, negative moods, and fears of positive emotions
Alexithymia, narcissism and social anxiety in relation to social media and internet addiction symptoms
There has been considerable interest in trait correlates of excessive or problematic use of the internet, known as internet addiction. However, the concept of internet addiction has been criticised as too broad. Specific forms of excessive internet use, for example, social media, may have different trait correlates compared to internet use in general. The present study compared levels of internet and social media addiction symptoms in relation to…
Alexithymia, attachment security and negative mood
Objective Alexithymia, a trait dimension defined by difficulties identifying and describing feelings and an externally oriented thinking style, is often associated with negative moods such as depression, anxiety and stress as well as an insecure adult attachment style. The present study evaluated the hypothesis that the link between alexithymia and negative moods is mediated by insecure attachment, which implies a lack of social resources for cop…
Alexithymia and binge eating
Alexithymia, Fear of Intimacy, and Relationship Satisfaction
Alexithymia, fear of intimacy, attachment security, and mood variables were examined as predictors of satisfaction in couple relationships after accounting for age, sex, relationship length, and marital status. Participants were 158 adults (52% women and 48% men) in an ongoing couple relationship for 1-19 years. They completed validated measures of the variables of interest online. Bivariate correlations were significant for all predicted associa…
Alexithymia, impulsivity, disordered social media use, mood and alcohol use in relation to facebook self-disclosure
The Influence of Alexithymia on Alcohol Craving, Health-Related Quality of Life and Gender in Alcohol-Dependent Outpatients
Alexithymia is a vulnerability factor for physical and mental illness that can significantly influence the daily function of alcohol-dependent patients. The aim of this study was to examine the indirect effect of obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors involving alcohol craving on the relationship between alexithymia, quality of life (QoL) of psychological well-being and health status. Three hundred and eighty-one outpatients (263 males and 1…
Social Interaction Anxiety, Alexithymia, and Drinking Motives in Australian University Students
In young adults at university, social interaction anxiety has been linked to elevated risk of alcohol-related problems, as has alexithymia. The present study sought to assess whether social interaction anxiety is, like alexithymia, associated with the primary motive of drinking to cope with negative affect. There were 126 undergraduates (76 females, 50 males), aged 18-25 years, who were recruited from two southeast Queensland universities to comp…
Alexithymia, reward sensitivity and risky drinking
Two personality dimensions, alexithymia and reward sensitivity, are known risk factors for problematic alcohol consumption. Internal or mood-change motives of drinking to cope with negative mood, as well as drinking to enhance positive mood (“get high”), have also been implicated as risk factors. The present study sought to determine whether the association between alexithymia and risky drinking is mediated by the motive of drinking to cope with …
Rash Impulsiveness and Negative Mood, but not Alexithymia or Reward Sensitivity, Differentiate Young to Middle-Aged Chronic Daily Smokers from Never-Smokers
Given the well-established associations of the personality traits alexithymia, impulsivity, and reward sensitivity with problematic use of a variety of substances, including alcohol and cannabis, the present study sought to determine whether daily tobacco smoking is similarly linked to these traits. Male and female adults aged 18 to 40 years were recruited from the local Australian community, allowing comparison of demographically similar samples…
Interrelationships between trait anxiety, situational stress and mental effort predict phonological processing efficiency, but not effectiveness
Attentional control theory (ACT) describes the mechanisms associated with the relationship between anxiety and cognitive performance. We investigated the relationship between cognitive trait anxiety, situational stress and mental effort on phonological performance using a simple (forward-) and complex (backward-) word span task. Ninety undergraduate students participated in the study. Predictor variables were cognitive trait anxiety, indexed usin…
Illness Perceptions, Coping, Benefit Finding, and Adjustment in Individuals with Hepatitis C
ObjectiveTo investigate the ability of illness perceptions, adaptive, and maladaptive coping strategies, and benefit finding to predict physical and psychosocial adjustment among individuals diagnosed with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), within an expanded self‐regulatory model of illness (SRM).MethodA total of 126 participants with HCV completed an online questionnaire assessing illness perceptions, coping, benefit finding, and four adjustment outc…
Cognitive trait anxiety, situational stress, and mental effort predict shifting efficiency
Attentional control theory (ACT) predicts that trait anxiety and situational stress interact to impair performance on tasks that involve attentional shifting. The theory suggests that anxious individuals recruit additional effort to prevent shortfalls in performance effectiveness (accuracy), with deficits becoming evident in processing efficiency (the relationship between accuracy and time taken to perform the task). These assumptions, however, h…
Mood, Mood Regulation, and Frontal Systems Functioning in Current Smokers, Long-Term Abstinent Ex-Smokers, and Never-Smokers
Indices of mood, mood regulation, and executive functioning were examined in 61 current smokers who have smoked daily for at least one year, 36 ex-smokers who had not smoked a cigarette for at least one year, and 86 never-smokers. All participants completed the following measures online: Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), the Negative Mood Regulation (NMR) scale, the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe), the Fagerström Test for Cigaret…
Caffeine Use and Alexithymia in University Students
Alexithymia refers to difficulties with identifying, describing, and regulating one's own emotions. This trait dimension has been linked to risky or harmful use of alcohol and illicit drugs; however, the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world, caffeine, has not been examined previously in relation to alexithymia. The present study assessed 106 male and female university students aged 18-30 years on their caffeine use in relation to sever…
Risky Cannabis Use is Associated with Alexithymia, Frontal Lobe Dysfunction, and Impulsivity in Young Adult Cannabis Users
Risky or problematic alcohol use by young adults has been found to be associated with factors such as alexithymia, frontal lobe dysfunction, reward sensitivity, and impulsivity. One interpretation is that these factors reflect inherent traits that predispose to risky substance use in general, a notion examined in the present study. Alexithymia, everyday frontal lobe functioning, sensitivity to reward and punishment, and impulsivity were examined …
Illicit Use of LSD or Psilocybin, but not MDMA or Nonpsychedelic Drugs, is Associated with Mystical Experiences in a Dose-Dependent Manner
Psychedelic drugs have long been known to be capable of inducing mystical or transcendental experiences. However, given the common "recreational" nature of much present-day psychedelic use, with typical doses tending to be lower than those commonly taken in the 1960s, the extent to which illicit use of psychedelics today is associated with mystical experiences is not known. Furthermore the mild psychedelic MDMA ("Ecstasy") is more popular today t…
Attachment security and alexithymia in a heavy drinking sample
Attachment difficulties have been proposed as a key risk factor for the development of alexithymia, a multifaceted personality trait characterised by difficulties identifying and describing feelings, a lack of imagination and an externally oriented thinking style. This study investigated the relationship between attachment and alexithymia in an alcohol-dependent population. Participants were 210 outpatients in a Cognitive Behavioural Treatment pr…
Alexithymia and alcohol
Alexithymia refers to difficulties identifying and describing feelings. It is suspected of being a risk factor for problematic drinking, an idea examined by this study. In 178 women and 84 men alexithymia was associated with male gender, coping motives for drinking and sensitivity to punishment. Individuals with alexithymia reported stronger coping motives and sensitivity to punishment compared to those with borderline or no alexithymia. Path ana…
Attachment in relation to affect regulation and interpersonal functioning among substance use disorder in patients
Attachment theory has been conceptualised as an affect regulation theory, proposing that attachment is associated with the expression and recognition of emotions as well as interpersonal functioning. Previous research has reported affect regulation difficulties in substance use disorders and addiction has been considered an attachment disorder. However, scarce empirical research exists on the relationship of attachment in relation to affect regul…
Mood and impulsivity of recreational Ecstasy users in the week following a “rave”
Two days following widely attended “rave” or dance party events, questionnaires assessing mood (Beck Depression Inventory, or BDI-II) and impulsivity (Impulsiveness, Venturesomeness and Empathy Scale, or IVE) were completed by 43 attendees who reported using Ecstasy at the events, and by 31 Ecstasy-naïve controls who attended the same events. Participants who had taken Ecstasy at the events were significantly more depressed two days later than co…
Values and Beliefs of Psychedelic Drug Users
Psychedelic drugs such as LSD and psilocybin are often claimed to be capable of inducing life-changing experiences described as mystical or transcendental, especially if high doses are taken. The present study examined possible enduring effects of such experiences by comparing users of psychedelic drugs (n = 88), users of nonpsychedelic illegal drugs (e.g., marijuana, amphetamines) (n = 29) and non illicit drug-using social drinkers (n = 66) on q…
Disinhibition and reward sensitivity in relation to alcohol consumption by university undergraduates
Deficits of prefrontal cortex functioning and associated executive cognitive impairments are well-known correlates of chronic alcoholism and may reflect cumulative effects of high alcohol exposure. However, such associations may also reflect traits predating alcohol exposure which predispose to heavy drinking. In the present investigation, 60 university undergraduates aged 18–25 years were administered the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Tes…
Attachment in relation to affect regulation and interpersonal functioning among substance use disorder in patients
Attachment theory has been conceptualised as an affect regulation theory, proposing that attachment is associated with the expression and recognition of emotions as well as interpersonal functioning. Previous research has reported affect regulation difficulties in substance use disorders and addiction has been considered an attachment disorder. However, scarce empirical research exists on the relationship of attachment in relation to affect regul…
Risky alcohol use and age at onset of regular alcohol consumption in relation to frontal lobe indices, reward sensitivity, and rash impulsiveness
Excessive alcohol consumption has been linked to predisposing traits that may reflect frontal lobe functioning, an idea explored by this study. The study recruited 132 adults of both genders aged 18–68 years who completed an online questionnaire battery. Sensitivity to punishment was the primary variable associated with age of onset for weekly drinking. The relationship between disinhibition and drinking behavior, as assessed by the AUDIT, was pa…
Attachment security and alexithymia in a heavy drinking sample
Attachment difficulties have been proposed as a key risk factor for the development of alexithymia, a multifaceted personality trait characterised by difficulties identifying and describing feelings, a lack of imagination and an externally oriented thinking style. This study investigated the relationship between attachment and alexithymia in an alcohol-dependent population. Participants were 210 outpatients in a Cognitive Behavioural Treatment pr…
Alexithymia and alcohol
Alexithymia refers to difficulties identifying and describing feelings. It is suspected of being a risk factor for problematic drinking, an idea examined by this study. In 178 women and 84 men alexithymia was associated with male gender, coping motives for drinking and sensitivity to punishment. Individuals with alexithymia reported stronger coping motives and sensitivity to punishment compared to those with borderline or no alexithymia. Path ana…
Illicit Use of LSD or Psilocybin, but not MDMA or Nonpsychedelic Drugs, is Associated with Mystical Experiences in a Dose-Dependent Manner
Psychedelic drugs have long been known to be capable of inducing mystical or transcendental experiences. However, given the common "recreational" nature of much present-day psychedelic use, with typical doses tending to be lower than those commonly taken in the 1960s, the extent to which illicit use of psychedelics today is associated with mystical experiences is not known. Furthermore the mild psychedelic MDMA ("Ecstasy") is more popular today t…
Risky Cannabis Use is Associated with Alexithymia, Frontal Lobe Dysfunction, and Impulsivity in Young Adult Cannabis Users
Risky or problematic alcohol use by young adults has been found to be associated with factors such as alexithymia, frontal lobe dysfunction, reward sensitivity, and impulsivity. One interpretation is that these factors reflect inherent traits that predispose to risky substance use in general, a notion examined in the present study. Alexithymia, everyday frontal lobe functioning, sensitivity to reward and punishment, and impulsivity were examined …
Mood, Mood Regulation, and Frontal Systems Functioning in Current Smokers, Long-Term Abstinent Ex-Smokers, and Never-Smokers
Indices of mood, mood regulation, and executive functioning were examined in 61 current smokers who have smoked daily for at least one year, 36 ex-smokers who had not smoked a cigarette for at least one year, and 86 never-smokers. All participants completed the following measures online: Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), the Negative Mood Regulation (NMR) scale, the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe), the Fagerström Test for Cigaret…
Caffeine Use and Alexithymia in University Students
Alexithymia refers to difficulties with identifying, describing, and regulating one's own emotions. This trait dimension has been linked to risky or harmful use of alcohol and illicit drugs; however, the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world, caffeine, has not been examined previously in relation to alexithymia. The present study assessed 106 male and female university students aged 18-30 years on their caffeine use in relation to sever…
Cognitive trait anxiety, situational stress, and mental effort predict shifting efficiency
Attentional control theory (ACT) predicts that trait anxiety and situational stress interact to impair performance on tasks that involve attentional shifting. The theory suggests that anxious individuals recruit additional effort to prevent shortfalls in performance effectiveness (accuracy), with deficits becoming evident in processing efficiency (the relationship between accuracy and time taken to perform the task). These assumptions, however, h…
Interrelationships between trait anxiety, situational stress and mental effort predict phonological processing efficiency, but not effectiveness
Attentional control theory (ACT) describes the mechanisms associated with the relationship between anxiety and cognitive performance. We investigated the relationship between cognitive trait anxiety, situational stress and mental effort on phonological performance using a simple (forward-) and complex (backward-) word span task. Ninety undergraduate students participated in the study. Predictor variables were cognitive trait anxiety, indexed usin…
Illness Perceptions, Coping, Benefit Finding, and Adjustment in Individuals with Hepatitis C
ObjectiveTo investigate the ability of illness perceptions, adaptive, and maladaptive coping strategies, and benefit finding to predict physical and psychosocial adjustment among individuals diagnosed with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), within an expanded self‐regulatory model of illness (SRM).MethodA total of 126 participants with HCV completed an online questionnaire assessing illness perceptions, coping, benefit finding, and four adjustment outc…
Alexithymia, reward sensitivity and risky drinking
Two personality dimensions, alexithymia and reward sensitivity, are known risk factors for problematic alcohol consumption. Internal or mood-change motives of drinking to cope with negative mood, as well as drinking to enhance positive mood (“get high”), have also been implicated as risk factors. The present study sought to determine whether the association between alexithymia and risky drinking is mediated by the motive of drinking to cope with …
Rash Impulsiveness and Negative Mood, but not Alexithymia or Reward Sensitivity, Differentiate Young to Middle-Aged Chronic Daily Smokers from Never-Smokers
Given the well-established associations of the personality traits alexithymia, impulsivity, and reward sensitivity with problematic use of a variety of substances, including alcohol and cannabis, the present study sought to determine whether daily tobacco smoking is similarly linked to these traits. Male and female adults aged 18 to 40 years were recruited from the local Australian community, allowing comparison of demographically similar samples…
Social Interaction Anxiety, Alexithymia, and Drinking Motives in Australian University Students
In young adults at university, social interaction anxiety has been linked to elevated risk of alcohol-related problems, as has alexithymia. The present study sought to assess whether social interaction anxiety is, like alexithymia, associated with the primary motive of drinking to cope with negative affect. There were 126 undergraduates (76 females, 50 males), aged 18-25 years, who were recruited from two southeast Queensland universities to comp…
Alexithymia, impulsivity, disordered social media use, mood and alcohol use in relation to facebook self-disclosure
The Influence of Alexithymia on Alcohol Craving, Health-Related Quality of Life and Gender in Alcohol-Dependent Outpatients
Alexithymia is a vulnerability factor for physical and mental illness that can significantly influence the daily function of alcohol-dependent patients. The aim of this study was to examine the indirect effect of obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors involving alcohol craving on the relationship between alexithymia, quality of life (QoL) of psychological well-being and health status. Three hundred and eighty-one outpatients (263 males and 1…
Alexithymia, narcissism and social anxiety in relation to social media and internet addiction symptoms
There has been considerable interest in trait correlates of excessive or problematic use of the internet, known as internet addiction. However, the concept of internet addiction has been criticised as too broad. Specific forms of excessive internet use, for example, social media, may have different trait correlates compared to internet use in general. The present study compared levels of internet and social media addiction symptoms in relation to…
Alexithymia, attachment security and negative mood
Objective Alexithymia, a trait dimension defined by difficulties identifying and describing feelings and an externally oriented thinking style, is often associated with negative moods such as depression, anxiety and stress as well as an insecure adult attachment style. The present study evaluated the hypothesis that the link between alexithymia and negative moods is mediated by insecure attachment, which implies a lack of social resources for cop…
Alexithymia and binge eating
Alexithymia, Fear of Intimacy, and Relationship Satisfaction
Alexithymia, fear of intimacy, attachment security, and mood variables were examined as predictors of satisfaction in couple relationships after accounting for age, sex, relationship length, and marital status. Participants were 158 adults (52% women and 48% men) in an ongoing couple relationship for 1-19 years. They completed validated measures of the variables of interest online. Bivariate correlations were significant for all predicted associa…
Alexithymia, reward sensitivity and excessive exercise in non-binge-eaters versus severe binge eaters
A distinction has been made between primary and secondary exercise dependence, with the latter defined as excessive exercise secondary to disordered eating and weight concerns. Based on theoretical considerations from research on the roles of trait factors in addictions, the present study used validated scales to assess alexithymia, sensitivity to reward and punishment, emotion regulation and interoception in relation to exercise dependence sympt…
Alexithymia, negative moods, and fears of positive emotions
Psychology (28 works) · Clinical Psychology (26 works) · Psychiatry (22 works) · Alexithymia (18 works) · Clinical Psychology (17 works) · Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments (16 works) · Social Psychology (15 works) · Developmental psychology (14 works) · Anxiety (12 works) · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes (10 works)