ALEXITHYMIA AND COPING WITH STRESS IN HEALTHY-PERSONS - ALEXITHYMIA AS A PERSONALITY-TRAIT IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOW SOCIAL SUPPORT AND POOR RESPONSES TO STRESS

We examined the relationship between alexithymia and coping with stres s among 179 Japanese healthy volunteers. Two correlational analyses in dicated that persons scored as alexithymic were more likely to indicat e lower social support and poorer responses to stress. Multiple regres sion analysis also indicated that these lowered coping responses were fully explained by alexithymia scores. These results suggest that alex ithymia, as a personality trait, may help to explain these individuals ' low social support and poor responses to stress.