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. 2009 Jan-Feb;50(1):59-68.
doi: 10.1176/appi.psy.50.1.59.

Alexithymia and health-related quality of life in a general population

Aino K Mattila  1 , Samuli I Saarni, Jouko K Salminen, Heini Huhtala, Harri Sintonen, Matti Joukamaa
Affiliations

Alexithymia and health-related quality of life in a general population

Aino K Mattila et al. Psychosomatics. 2009 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Background: Alexithymia is thought to reflect a deficit in the cognitive processing of emotion, and, therefore, it may predispose individuals to both psychological and somatic symptoms.

Objective: The authors investigated the relationship between alexithymia and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a nationally representative population sample of 5,418 subjects, age 30 to 97 years.

Method: Alexithymia was measured with the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and HRQoL measured with the 15D, a generic HRQoL measure.

Results: Alexithymia was significantly associated with lower HRQoL independently of other variables. The TAS-20 subfactor Difficulties Identifying Feelings was the strongest common denominator between alexithymia and HRQoL.

Conclusion: Alexithymia may be a predisposing factor to poorer HRQoL.

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