Factor structure of alexithymia of adolescents in health and nonorganic genesis mental retardation

Purpose of the study. The article presents the results of the study of the severity of alexithymia and its factor structure in “practically healthy” and mentally retarded adolescents. Materials and methods.The sample of the study: group 1 - 84 people (35 boys and 49 girls) with constitutional and psychogenic genesis mental retardation. Group 2 - 153 “practically healthy” respondents (96 boys and 57 girls). The age of all subjects is 12 to 15 years old. The psychodiagnostic study was carried out using the Toronto alexithymic scale (TAS), the characterization questionnaire of G. Shmishek, the anxiety scale of J. Taylor, the test questionnaire of A. Bass and A. Darka, the questionnaire for empathy of I.M. Yusupov, the questionnaire of G. Eysenck. The obtained data were subjected to statistical processing (determination of the reliability of differences according to the Student’s t-test, the factor analysis of images). Results. The severity of alexithymia was noted in 61.9% of subjects with mental retardation and 42.5% of “practically healthy” subjects. When the factor analysis was carried out in a group of subjects with mental retardation, the factorized parameters were grouped into 6 semantic factors: “Anxious instability”, “Hypoempathy experiences”, “Manifest aggressiveness”, “Extraverted hyperthymia”, “Hidden hostility” and “Age features”. In the group of “practically healthy” schoolchildren, the factor structure includes 7 semantic factors: “Developed aggressiveness”, “Hypoempathic experiences”, “Extraverted hypertension”, “Exalted imbalance”, “Alarming experiences”, “Hostile resentment”, “Suspicious hostility”. Conclusion. The psychological structure of alexithymia in the sample of schoolchildren with mental retardation does not differ in principle from the structure of alexithymia of “practically healthy” subjects. Understanding alexithymia as a nonspecific risk factor for the development of psychosomatic illnesses makes it possible to use the results of the study in developing measures for the psychological prevention of alexithymia as part of programs to stabilize the mental health of children and to reduce somatization.