Esma Akpinar Aslan
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, Turkey
Sedat Batmaz
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Social Sciences University of Ankara, Ankara, Turkey.

Abstract:

The current study aimed to identify the depression and anxiety severity levels, self-regulation strategies, and perceived quality of life (QOL) in individuals with alexithymia, and highlight the differences of these parameters between the groups of participants with different alexithymia levels. In addition to these, it was also aimed to evaluate the impact of alexithymia in relation to cognitive and affective regulation processes on QOL. One hundred thirty-five participants were recruited and they completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Cognitive Regulation Scale, Affective Regulation Scale, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Form. The definite alexithymic (DA) group had higher levels of depression and anxiety, and the groups did not differ in the self-regulation processes. In the DA group, cognitive self-regulation processes were positively correlated with QOL domains, none of the QOL domains were correlated with affective regulation processes. In linear regression analyses, cognitive regulation processes were associated with better QOL in all of its domains, except for the social relationship domain. Affective regulation processes were associated with better QOL only for the social relationships domain. Alexithymia levels were not associated with any of the QOL domains.

Keywords:alexithymia, self-regulation, quality of life