Alexithymia and mental health: a study among college students

Background: Alexithymia is a multi-faceted personality construct that has been associated with various clinical and psychiatric disorders like substance use disorders, eating disorders, attachment problems and stress and coping difficulties. Studies about Alexithymia are of recent origin in the Indian context and studies relating Alexithymia and mental health are scarce. Objective: To study the relationship between Alexithymia and mental health. Method: A sample of 24 male and 159 female college students completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ, Goldberg, 1979). Relationships were examined using correlations. Results: The results show that there is a significant negative relationship between Alexithymia and mental health. Conclusion: The findings of the current study demonstrates the role of Alexithymia in determining the mental health of the individuals, that is, individuals with high degrees of Alexithymia are prone to have poor mental health.