Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 6:157–172, 2013 Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 1936-1521 print / 1936-153X online DOI: 10.1080/19361521.2013.811456 Childhood Emotional Maltreatment and Somatic Complaints: The Mediating Role of Alexithymia ALLISON M. SMITH AND ELLEN C. FLANNERY-SCHROEDER The University of Rhode Island The relationship between childhood emotional maltreatment (CEM) and adverse health-related outcomes is well-documented in the literature. However, mediators of such relationships are not fully understood. The present study examined alexithymia as a potential mediator of the relationship between CEM and somatic complaints in young adults. A sample of 270 undergraduates completed self-report questionnaires assessing CEM, alexithymia, and somatic complaints. All variables were moderately intercor- related. Controlling for the effects of sex, path analyses supported a model in which alexithymia partially mediated the relationship between CEM and somatic complaints. This study provides further evidence for the occurrence and lasting sequelae of CEM in a sample of young adults. It also illuminates the role of emotions in the relation- ship between CEM and somatic complaints, suggesting that interventions emphasizing affective education may lessen somatic complaints. Individual differences in CEM and other mediators warrant further investigation. Keywords trauma, abuse, neglect, emotional maltreatment, alexithymia, somatization Childhood maltreatment has received much attention in the literature, particularly as a risk factor for poor mental and physical health outcomes in later life. Maltreatment is a broad concept that encompasses a wide variety of parent or caregiver behaviors. Most commonly, the term refers to neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and/or emotional maltreatment. Reported prevalence and incidence of childhood maltreatment are quite high, despite vari- ability across studies. In adult community samples, retrospective reports of childhood experiences are commonly used to estimate rates of maltreatment. Scher, Forde, McQuaid, and Stein (2004) reported that 30% of adult females and 40% of adult males experienced some form of maltreatment in childhood. Similarly, Edwards, Holden, Felitti, and Anda (2003) reported a prevalence rate of 43% in adult Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) members. Further, according to Child Maltreatment 2009 (United States Department of Health and Human Services [DHHS], 2010), 702,000 children in the United States were maltreated in 2009. Of those 702,000, the majority (78.3%) experienced neglect, 17.8% were physi- cally abused, 9.5% were sexually abused, and 7.6% experienced emotional maltreatment (DHHS, 2010). However, given that many cases are not formally reported, these data may underestimate maltreatment’s true prevalence and incidence in the community (Mulvihill, 2005). Received February 16, 2011; revised May 7, 2011; accepted July 19, 2011. Address correspondence to Ellen C. Flannery-Schroeder, Department of Psychology, University of Rhode Island, 10 Chafee Road, Kingston, RI 02881. E-mail: efschroeder@mail.uri.edu 157