نقش ويژگي هاي شخصيتي ناگويي خلقي در پيش بيني نشانه هاي آسيب شناسي رواني در بيماران مبتلا به افسردگي اساسي

Role of alexithymic personality features in predicting psychopathological symptoms in patients with major depression

Fundamental dysfunctions in affective regulation have particular importance in development of psychological symptoms in mood disorders. The study investigated the role of alexithymic personality features to predict psychopathological symptoms in patients with major depression. Method and Materials: This was a longitudinal descriptive study. The sample consisted of 323 patients with major depression (225 women, 98 men; 32-45 years old, mean age = 38, SD = 3). They had referred to psychiatric clinics of Ardebil province and were enrolled in the study through convenient sampling after completing and signing informed consent forms. The instruments used for data collection were Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 and Symptom Checklist-90-R. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analyses. Findings: Results demonstrated that only the first alexithymia facet (difficulties with identifying feelings) was a significant predictor for all psychopathological symptoms in patients with major depression (P = 0.001). The contributions of other facets of alexithymia appeared to be almost negligible. Conclusions: In general many psychopathological symptoms in major depression are associated with the patientsʹ inability to identify emotions.