Multiple Relationships of Maladjustment Schemas, Personality, and Family Relations with Alexithymia in Primary School Children

Elementary school years are one of the most important stages of development, as many of the child's capabilities, including emotional expressiveness, are developed during this period. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the multiple relationships between maladjustment schemas, personality, and family relations with alexithymia. The present study was correlational. The sample consisted of 220 mothers with primary school children in Isfahan in the academic year of 1995-96 who were selected through available sampling. The research tools consisted of five factor factors questionnaire (Costa and McCrae, 1992), short form of maladjustment Schema (Welbler et al., 2002), family relations (Barnes, 1982), and researcher developed alexithymia scale. Collected data were analyzed by Pearson correlation and stepwise regression. The results showed that the five domains of overvigilance and inhibition (p<0.001), impaired function (p<0.011), impaired autonomy and performance (p<0.001), Other-directedness (p<0.011), and disconnection and rejection (p<0.001) had significant and positive correlations with alexithymia, but there are no significant relations between other variables with alexithymia. Also, among the early maladjustment schemas, overvigilance and inhibition, autonomy, and impaired function of mothers, can predict alexithymia among children. As a result, it can be said maladjustment schemas cause negative state among mothers that can intensify alexithymia among their children.