The Relationships of Alexithymia and Social Intelligence with Quality of Life According to the Moderating Role of Social Anxiety in WomenHeaded Household

Quality of life is a multidimensional and dynamic concept that can be assessed based on the differences between expectations and reality level. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of social anxiety in the causal relationships of alexithymia and social intelligence with the quality of life in women-headed household in Ahvaz.

The research design was causal-correlational and had a field type. A total of 261 women-headed household were selected from Ahvaz City by convenience sampling. The research instrument included World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire-Short Form, Ahvaz Alexithymia scale (AAS- 26 questions), Tromso Social Intelligence Scale (TSIS), and Jerabek Social Anxiety Scale. Analysis of the data involved both descriptive and inferential statistics including mean, standard deviation, Pearson’s correlation, and path analysis. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 24.

A direct and positive relationship was observed between social intelligence and quality of life (β=0.152, P=0.003) and between alexithymia and social anxiety (β=0.245, P=0.001). There was a direct and negative relationship between social anxiety and quality of life (β=-0.618, P=0.001). There was no direct and significant relationship between alexithymia and quality of life (β=0.043, P=0.417). The path analysis results indicated that social anxiety had a mediating role in the relationship between alexithymia and quality of life (β=-0.246, P=0.001) as well as the relationship between social intelligence and quality of life (β=- 0.275, P=0.001).

Social anxiety plays an important role in the relationship between social intelligence, alexithymia, and quality of life.