Influence of alexithymic tendencies on somatic complaints of Junior high school students

Abstract

Relationships between somatic complaints and alexithymic tendencies were investigated in junior-high-school students (N=1,206; 626 boys and 580 girls) that completed the Somatic Complaint List (SCL) and the Alexithymia Scale for Adolescents (ASA). Results indicated that girls had significantly higher total SCL scores than boys (d=.18), and third-year students had significantly higher total SCL scores than first-year students (d=.18). Moreover, a hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that “difficulty identifying feelings” (DIF) subscale of the ASA contributed to higher SCL scores (boys: β=.33, p<.01; girls: β=.37, p <.01), and furthermore, “difficulty describing feelings” (DDF) subscale played a role in increasing somatic complaints in boys (β= .10, p<.05). Also, the DIF×DDF interaction was associated with the total SCL score in girls. These results suggest that alexithymic tendencies, especially DIF and secondarily DDF, influence somatic complaints of junior-high-school students.