The Relationship between Emotional Expression Styles and Alexithymia with the Incidence of Psychosomatic Symptoms in Patients with Digestive Problems

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between emotional expression styles and alexithymia with the incidence of psychosomatic symptoms in patients with digestive problems. In this study, 250 subjects were selected by available sampling method from those referred to clinics in the city of Ahvaz, Iran. They were evaluated with the help of Roger and Nesshoever emotional control questionnaire, King and Emmons ambivalence over emotional expressiveness inventory, King and Emmons emotional expressiveness inventory, Ahwaz alexithymia scale and Mohr psychosomatic symptoms in a non-clinical environment questionnaire. This study was a correlational research. The results showed that there is a significant negative relationship between emotional control and incidence of psychosomatic symptoms in patients with digestive problems. However, no significant negative relationship was found between emotional expressiveness and incidence of psychosomatic symptoms. Also, there was a significant positive relationship between ambivalence over emotional expressiveness as well as alexithymia with incidence of psychosomatic symptoms. The regression of predicting the incidence of psychosomatic symptoms based on variables of emotional expression styles and alexithymia as well as the regression of predicting the incidence of psychosomatic symptoms based on the variables of emotional control, ambivalence over emotional expressiveness styles and emotional expressiveness were significant

Keywords:

Emotion expression styles , Alexithymia , Psychosomatic symptoms , Gastro-intestinal patients