The prevalence of alexithymia among medical students. The relationship between alexithymia and somatic morbidity, the presence of bad habits and the level of academic performance

Abstract

Aim. To determine the prevalence and severity of alexithymia among medical university students. To assess the relationship between somatic pathology in students and academic performance. Material and methods. An anonymous standardized questionnaire survey of 130 students of the Tyumen State Medical University was conducted. The questionnaire is based on a Russian-language validated version of the 20-point Toronto Alexithymia Scale for quantifying alexithymia, including information about age, gender, concomitant psychosomatic diseases, unwanted habits, and self-assessment of academic performance. Results. Among the examined students, the frequency of alexithymia was 6,2%. The risk group for alexithymia included 12.3% of the surveyed students. Diseases of a psychosomatic nature (arterial hypertension, VSD, cephalgia, bronchial asthma, chronic skin diseases) were registered twice as often. Alexithymia is often combined with a number of undesirable habits, among which alcohol abuse, smoking, nail biting, and sweet drinking predominate. The relationship between the presence of alexithymia and reduced academic performance is determined. Conclusion. To reduce the negative impact of alexithymia on somatic and mental health, the effectiveness of training and personal development of students, it is necessary to conduct a systematic assessment of the level of alexithymia. When identifying alexithymia or its risk, use methods of psychotherapeutic correction.