Psychosomatic practice in the field of gastrointestinal disorders: the key role of alexithymia

Background: Gastrointestinal disorders represent a field of particular interest in psychosomatic practice. In particular, along with dermatological and cardiovascular disorders the literature presents evidence with reference to psychological factors that contribute to onset and maintenance of physical phenomena. In terms of gastrointestinal disorders, it is clear to date how factors such as alexithymia and some predictors such as age and gender can contribute to pathological conditions. The aim of this contribution was to focus on the relationships between psychological and gastrointestinal phenomena within healthcare contexts. Methods: The sample consists of 103 subjects, aged between 18 and 73 years old (M: 28:56; SD: 13.04) with female prevalence (86.4%), diagnosed for gastrointestinal disorders. The administration of instruments involved the use of Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) in order to identify alexithymia and Gastrointestinal Symptom-Rating Scales (GSRC) in order to identify gastrointestinal disorders and their manifestations. Results: Through the statistical analysis it is possible to highlight how the average scores related to alexithymia exceeded the minimum threshold (>51) resulting borderline and indicating a consistent presence of alexithymia. Correlational analyses highlighted the presence of statistically significant relationships between age, duration of the disease and education, showing that the level of education corresponds to lower levels of alexithymia. The correlation relationships emerged between alexithymia and gastrointestinal manifestations are significant and particularly relevant with reference to the study aim. There were no statistically significant differences between the male and female sex groups, which must take into account the disparity of the sample in terms of the significant prevalence of female subjects. Age, education and duration of the disease are valid predictors of the appearance of alexithymia and gastrointestinal disorders. Conclusions: The study highlighted a consistent presence of alexithymia and gastrointestinal disorders in the subjects considered. In particular, the results demonstrate the protective role of variables such as education and years of illness, highlighting how they play a crucial role. The emerged regarding data on alexithymia show that this phenomenon, widespread throughout the population, represents a dynamic of particular interest in the field of psychosomatics.