RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Prevalence and associated factors of alexithymia among medical students: A cross-sectional study from Saudi Arabia
JF Neurosciences Journal
JO Neurosciences (Riyadh)
FD Prince Sultan Military Medical City
SP 257
OP 262
DO 10.17712/nsj.2022.4.20220049
VO 27
IS 4
A1 Mohammed A. Aljaffer
A1 Ahmad H. Almadani
A1 Saleh A. Alghamdi
A1 Ibrahim M. Alabdulkarim
A1 Mohammed A. Albabtain
A1 Rayed M. Altameem
A1 Abdulrahman A. Almugren
A1 Abdulaziz F. Alomairy
A1 Abdulaziz A. Alghofaily
YR 2022
UL http://nsj.org.sa/content/27/4/257.abstract
AB Objectives: To assess the prevalence of alexithymia and its associated factors among medical students at King Saud University (KSU), Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at KSU, including 420 medical students from all years of medical college (i.e., first to the fifth year), by using an electronic questionnaire distributed during August 2021. The questionnaire consisted of sociodemographic-related questions and the 20-item Toronto alexithymia scale (a validated scale in the literature).Results: The prevalence of alexithymia among the participants was found to be 26.9%. A statistically significant association between alexithymia and gender (p=0.013) was found. A diagnosis with any psychiatric condition (p=0.026), history of abuse during childhood (p=0.006), and lack of physical activity were associated with alexithymia.Conclusion: The prevalence of alexithymia among medical students at KSU was significantly higher than general population in literatures. It was indicated in the results that being female, having a psychiatric condition or history of childhood abuse, and lack of physical activity were all associated with alexithymia. We recommend increasing awareness of and screening for alexithymia and its associated factors among medical students.