Journal of the Korean Society of School Health (한국학교보건학회지)

The Korean Society of School Health (한국학교보건학회)
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The Relationship of Alexithymia and Somatic Symptoms in Elementary School Children

초등학교 고학년의 감정표현불능증과 신체화 증상과의 관계

  • Jeong, Sun-Mi (Yul-guk Elementary School, Gwangju) ;
  • Kim, Jin-Ho (Department of Medicine, Graduate School of Chosun University)
  • 정선미 (광주광역시 율곡초등학교) ;
  • 김진호 (조선대학교 대학원 의학과)
  • Published : 2009.12.01
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Abstract

Purpose: This study is to identify the relations between alexithymia, emotional clarification, emotional expressiveness and somatic symptoms, and their effect on the elementary school students. Methods: This study targets 567 elementary school students and they are composed of 288 boy students and 279 girl students in 5th and 6th grade, and 283 in the 5th grade and 284 in the 6th grade. Results: In somatic symptoms, alexithymia, emotional clarification, and emotional expressivness, a significant difference is found. For the somatic symptoms and alexithymia, the subject in grade 5 show higher score than those in grade 6. For the emotional clarification, and emotional expressivness, the subjects in grade 5 show higher scores than those of grade 6. According to sex, only in emotional clarification, a significant difference is found between boys and girls and the girls show higher score that the boys. In looking at the correlations between alexithymia, emotional clarification and somatic symptoms, the somatic symptoms has positive correlations with alexithymia while it has negative correlations with emotional expressiveness. The alexithymia has negative correlations with emotional clarification and emotional expressiveness. It is found that the emotional clarification has positive correlations with emotional expressiveness. Conclusion: In respect to the effect of alexithymia, emotional clarification and emotional expressiveness on somatic symptoms, emotional alexithymia and emotional clarification have effect on somatic symptoms and emotional expressiveness has no effect on somatic symptoms.

Keywords

References

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