Alexithymia and Diabetes Control Indices in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

Alexithymia, as an inability to identify and describe feelings, has a significant relationship with blood glycemic control and quality of life in patient with type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of alexithymia and self-care activities on diabetes control indices in patients with type 2 diabetes.
This study was a cross-sectional investigation. Participants of the study included 100 patients with type 2 diabetic, referred to Labbafinejad Hospital. Information was collected through questionnaires of alexithymia, self-care activities and health-related quality of life. The glycated hemoglobin levels were also obtained in the laboratory by collecting blood samples. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21 software.
In order to assess the relationship between glycated hemoglobin, alexithymia, self-care activities and quality of life, a Pearson’s correlation analysis was used. The results showed that alexithymia had a significant positive correlation with HbA1c (0.44) and a significant negative correlation with self-care activities (-0.049) and quality of life (-0.47). Furthermore, alexithymia and self-care activities can predict the level of HbA1c and the quality of life in patients with diabetes. Among the aspects of alexithymia, difficulty in identifying feelings and objective thinking were predictors of HbA1c; also, difficulty in describing feelings was a predictor of patients’ quality of life.
Based on the results of study, alexithymia had an important role in explaining and predicting diabetes control indices. Therefore, consideration of the alexithymia role and other emotional and psychological problems in patients with type 2 diabetes may be important for planning the efficacy of interventions and treatments of diabetes.