title: The mediating effects of cognitive emotion regulation strategies on the relationship between alexithymia and physical symptoms: Evidence from Iranian asthmatic patients.
abstract: Asthma is a chronic and episodic psychosomatic disease whose symptoms include coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of cognitive emotion regulation strategies (CERS) as mediators on the relationships between alexithymia subscales and physical symptoms (PS). 300 asthmatic patients (males=42.7%, females=57.3%, agerange=16-65, meanage=29.40) and 100 normal controls participated in the study and completed the demographic questionnaire, the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), the Persian version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (FTAS-20), and the Powell & Enright Physical Symptoms Inventory (PSI). Asthmatic patients showed higher scores on all three alexithymia subscales including difficulty in identifying feelings (DIF), difficulty in describing feelings (DDF), and externally oriented thinking (EOT) as well as non-adaptive CERS than normal controls. On the other hand, normal controls earned higher means in adaptive CERS. Results revealed that each of the three alexithymia subscales had indirect effects on PS through the non-adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategy of catastrophizing. It is concluded that alexithymia can intensify PS through catastrophizing in asthmatic patients.
authors.affiliation: Toxicological Research Center, Department of Clinical Toxicology, Loghman-Hakim Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: fghorbani.5713@sbmu.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ghorbani
authors.affiliation: Psychosocial Injuries Research Centre, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran. Electronic address: vahid.psy@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Vahid
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Khosravani
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Ardakan University, Ardakan, Yazd, Iran. Electronic address: jamaati@ardakan.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Razieh Jamaati
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Ardakani
authors.affiliation: Psychosocial Injuries Research Centre, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran. Electronic address: aminalvani64@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Amin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alvani
authors.affiliation: Allergist & Asthma Specialist at Private Allergic Office, Shiraz, Iran. Electronic address: info@akbariallergy.ir.
authors.forename: Hedayat
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akbari
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000523:psychology*; D058443:Catastrophization; D003071:Cognition; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alexithymia; Asthmatic patients; Cognitive emotion regulation strategies; Physical symptoms