Abstract
SUMMARY The present research investigates the relationship between alexithymic characteristics and mental health in 542 (324 girls, 218 boys) college students. In order to understand the alexithymia phenemenon more precisely the relationships between alexithymia and somatic problems, gender and socio-demograf ic features have also been studied. Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) was used to measure alexithymic characteristics, KAS or Katz General Adjustment Scale (KAS-S-) was used for measuring mental health and a socio-demograf ic form was applied to understand the background of the students. A positive relationship was found between alexithymic characteristics and mental health and alexithymic characteristics and somatic problems. It was found that the individuals who.have poorer mental health or more somatic problems were likely to have more alexithymic characteristics. Male subjects (% 33) compared to female subjects (% 26) tend to have more alexithymic characteristics and more somatic problems. However subjects' mental health scores did not change significantly according to their gender differences. According to the findings of this research the subjects who show more alexithymic charecteristics than others share these socio-demograf ic features in common: lower socio-econo mic status, living away from the family, parents living in village or small towns, parents who do not have any formal education, father being out of job and mother working instead, crowded family, many siblings, not having a room of his/her own, living in a small town for the first ten years of his/her life, not sharing his/her problems with another one, alcohol and substance abuse. It was found that, approximately 30 % of the population were more alexithymic. As a result, alexithymia might have a strong social and cultural aspect. As it was mentioned earlier, subjects who show more alexithymic character ics are likely to have poorer mental health and more socio- demograf ic variables which might couse stress, that is alexithymia might be a defense mechanism developed aganinst psycholojical conflicts, anxiety and stress, moreover it might be projected as somatic problems and might be evaula- ted as a dimension in the vulnerability to psychosomatic 66disorders. It must be considered that this research and its findings are limited with its population and measurement scales and with their characteristics. We accept that this is a tentative step in understanding a possible new area in the vast world of scientific knowledge of human mental health. 67
