The Relationship between Emotion Regulation Difficulty, Alexithymia and Traumatic Events in Somatization in Delinquent Adolescents aged in 15 to 18 Years in Correction and Rehabilitation Center, Tehran Download PDF

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between emotion regulation difficulties, alexithymia, traumatic events with somatization symptoms in adolescents of correction and rehabilitation center. Method: The study population consisted of male adolescents of correction and rehabilitation center. 120 adolescents were selected by convenience sampling. To measure variables, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Impact of Event Scale- Revised version and somatization subscale of the Symptom Checklist -90, Revised Version”, measurements were used. Pearson correlation and multiple regression methods were used to analyze data. Conclusion: The results of multiple regression showed that 15 percent of the somatization symptoms are predicted by emotion regulation difficulties, alexithymia, as well as traumatic events variables (F = 7.980, p<0.01). Also, the results of multiple regression showed that among these variables, traumatic events have a more meaningful predictive ability (t= 4.031, p<0.05). Based on the results of this study, traumatic events in childhood and their impact on individual are a strong predictor of the somatization symptoms in teenagers living in a correction and rehabilitation center.