Emotional Personality Traits and Their Relationship in Adolescents with Chronic Physical Illness

Abstract

Currently, we observe an increase in the growth rate of chronic diseases among adolescents. Somatic diseases are everywhere recognized as conditioned by emotional problems among other factors. Often the researches explore the emotional patterns that are typical for a particular nosology. The purpose of this study is to identify general emotional personality traits in adolescents with different chronic physical illnesses of visceral organs. Neuroticism, trait anxiety, emotional tension, mental instability, sensitivity, aggressive reactions have been studied using following techniques: EPQ, STAI, BDHI, "Accumulation of emotional charges aimed at himself" test, multivariate personality questionnaire "Psychodiagnostic test." In contrast to healthy peers, chronically ill adolescents have higher levels of trait anxiety and mental imbalance, higher levels of neuroticism and irritability. Levels of emotional tension, indirect aggression, tendency to depression and sensitivity are slightly higher, the differences are minimal. We have observed much more extensive relations of neuroticism, psychoticism and irritability with other traits in adolescents with chronic physical illnesses. Correlations of emotional tension (as a habit to suppress emotions) are limited only by intrapersonal problems “psikhotizm”, hostility and guilt. A sort of «blind spot» have been observed: a lack of significant relations of emotional tension with trait anxiety, neuroticism and a tendency to depression, which often can be considered as predictors of chronic physical illnesses. We have supposed, that teenagers with chronic physical illnesses are not aware of some part of their emotional tension, and this phenomenon may be a factor of chronically supported somatization. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n3s2p269