Alexithymia Characteristics and Subjective Evaluation of Interpersonal Relations in Cancer Patients

Results of empirical research of an index of satisfaction with life, an alexithymia and value judgment of the interpersonal relations are described and analyzed. Results at two groups are compared: oncological patients and somatic healthy sample. Interrelations between vital satisfaction, manifestations of an alexithymia and value judgment of the interpersonal relations are considered. An empirical research was carried out involving a sample group of 41 persons aged from 25 till 80 years old. There were 24 respondents in group of oncological patients and 17 people in group somatic healthy respondents. Significantly lower index of vital satisfaction is found in group of oncological patients, significantly higher level of an alexithymia and significantly higher level of intensity of the interpersonal relations.

1. Akimova, M.K. Psikhodiagnostika. Teoriia i praktika: uchebnik dlia bakalavrov (4-e izd.) [Psychodiagnostics. Theory And Practice (4 ed.)]. Moscow: Urait, 2014. 631 p.
2. Garanjan, N.G. Koncepcija aleksitimii [Concept of an Aleхithimia]. Zhurnal sotsial'noi i klinicheskoi psikhiatrii [Journal of Social and Clinical Psychiatry], 2003, no. 1, pp. 128–145.
3. Eres'ko, D.B., et al. Aleksitimija i metody ee opredelenija pri pogranichnyh rasstrojstvah: Posobie dlja psihologov i vrachej [Alexithymia and Methods of it Definition at Boundary Disorders]. St. Petersburg: publ. of St. Petersburg research psychoneurological Institute of V.M. Bekhterev, 2005.
4. Kelina, M.Ju., Meshkova, T.A. Aleksitimija i ee svjaz' s pishhevymi ustanovkami v neklinicheskoj populjacii devushek podrostkovogo i junosheskogo vozrasta [Alexithymia and its Connection with Alimentary Installations in Not Clinical Population of Girls of Teenage and Youthful Age] [Web source]. Klinicheskaia i spetsial'naia psikhologiia [Clinical and Special Psychology], 2012, no. 2. URL: https://psyjournals.ru/psyclin/2012/ n2/52628.shtml (Accessed: 25.08.2016).
5. Cristal, J. Integracija i samoiscelenie: Affekt-Travma-Aleksitimija [Integration and Self-Healing: Affect-Travma-Alexithymia]. Moscow: publ. of Institute of all-humanitarian researches, 2006, 800 p.
6. Malkina-Pyh, I.G. Psihosomatika Spravochnik prakticheskogo psihologa. [Psychosomatic Medicine Reference Book of the Practical Psychologist]. Moscow: Eksmo, 2004, 992 p.
7. Nartova-Bochaver, S.K., Potapova, A.V. Uroven' aleksitimii kak indikator psihologicheskoj ustojchivosti studentov tehnicheskih i gumanitarnyh vuzov [Level of Alexithymia as an Indicator of Psychological Stability of Students of Technical and Humanitarian Higher Educational Institutions]. Psikhologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie [Psychological Science and Education], 2012, no. 3, pp. 10–17.
8. Nikolaeva, V.V. O psihologicheskoj prirode aleksitimii. [About the Psychological Nature of Alexithymia] [Web source]. URL: http://vprosvet.ru/biblioteka/aleksitimiya/ (Accessed: 20.08.2016).
9. Pavlova, E.M. Jemocional'nyj intellekt: ot ierarhicheskih modelej k predstavleniju o edinoj kognitivnoj sposobnosti. [Emotional Intelligence: From Hierarchical Models to Idea of Uniform Cognitive Ability] [Web source]. Psihologicheskie issledovanija [Psychological researches], 2014, vol. 7, no. 37, р. 4. URL: //http://psystudy.ru/index.php/num/2014 v7n37/1038-pavlova37.html (Accessed: 16.03.2016).
10. Finagentova, N.V. Psihologicheskie resursy v profilaktike recidivov pri onkologicheskih zabolevanijah: Avtoref. dis. kand. psihol, nauk [Psychological Resources in Prophylaxis of Recurrence at Oncologic Diseases. PhD Thesis]. St. Petersburg, 2010, 15 p.
11. Taylor, G.J. Recent Developments in Alexithymia Theory and Research. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie, 2000, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 134–142.
12. Taylor, G.J., Bagby, R., Parker, J.D. The Alexithymia Construct: a Potential Paradigm for Psychosomatic Medicine. Psychosomatics, 1991, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 153–164.