Study of Alexithymia and Stigma in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the current status and correlation between alexithymia and stigma in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods: A total of 84 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) attending the gastroenterology department of a tertiary care hospital in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, from December 2022 to May 2023 were selected method as the study population by handy sampling. The General Information Questionnaire, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and Social Impact Scale were used for conducting questionnaires on them. Results: The total score of alexithymia in patients with inflammatory bowel disease was (60.67±8.19). The results of the correlation analysis showed that there was a significant positive correlation between the alexithymia and the stigma of patients with IBD, with correlation coefficients of (r=0.37, P<0.01). The results of regression analysis showed that stigma was an influential factor in alexithymia. Conclusion: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease have alexithymia and stigma, and alexithymia is significantly positively correlated with stigma, and stigma affects alexithymia.