Severity of alexithymia is related to psychosocial factors in patients with peritoneal dialysis.

We examined the relationship between alexithymia and psychosocial factors in 72 peritoneal dialysis patients. The 72 patients had significantly higher scores on alexithymia and anxiety than did 73 healthy volunteers. The alexithymia scores were significantly and positively correlated with anxiety scores, suggesting that alexithymia may be related to anxiety derived from the stress associated with dialysis therapy. After 3 yr. of follow-up consultations, patients were still showing higher scores on alexithymia and anxiety; however, alexithymia scores were not correlated with anxiety scores but rather were significantly associated with poor social support. Alexithymic characteristics may be related to psychosocial factors such as the availability of social support.