Socijalna psihijatrija, Vol. 52 No. 1, 2024.
Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.24869/spsih.2024.3
Alexithymia and Its Potential Predictors Obtained from a Sample of Patients with Anxiety and Psychosomatic Disorders
Ana Došen
; Pula General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Pula, Croatia
Tanja Grahovac Juretić
; Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, Department of Psychiatry, Rijeka, Croatia;
Martina Rojnić Kuzman
; University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
Ika Rončević-Gržeta
; Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, Department of Psychiatry, Rijeka, Croatia;
Klementina Ružić
; Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, Department of Psychiatry, Rijeka, Croatia;
Sažetak
Alexithymia is a construct that has an undeniable effect on health and on coping with a disease and the treatment
process. A study of this condition was conducted at the Departments of Psychiatry and Internal Medicine at the Clinical
Hospital Center Rijeka, on a sample of 100 respondents divided into two groups: patients with anxiety disorders and
patients with psychosomatic disorders. The main objective of this paper was to examine the potential predictors of
alexithymia, taking into consideration the following parameters: the health locus of control, degrees of anxiety and
depression, and individual sociodemographic characteristics. The specific goals refer to examining the association
between the degree of alexithymia expression and the degree of expression of each individual predictor. The degree
of sympathetic nervous system activation in the test groups was also examined. The following instruments were used:exthe
Sociodemographic Survey, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-26, the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 and the Perceived
Source of Health Control Questionnaire. A manual blood pressure monitor and stethoscope were used for blood
pressure measurement, heart rate was measured with a pulse oximeter, while respiratory rate was measured by direct
observation of the researchers. Consistent with the objectives, a statistically significant positive association was found
between alexithymia, the external health locus of control, anxiety and depression. Individuals with a higher degree
of alexithymia displayed a preserved autonomic emotional response. It was determined that lower education, higher
degrees of depression and anxiety, and the presence of a more pronounced external health locus of control are objective
indicators of alexithymia.
Ključne riječi
Alexithymia; Alexithymia Predictors; Health Locus of Control; Anxiety, Depression; Sympathetic Autonomic Activation
Hrčak ID:
320246
URI
Datum izdavanja:
20.3.2024.
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