Alexithymia Reduction Treatment: A pilot quasi-experimental study for remediation of alexithymia and its consequent effects on the general mental health of university students

Objectives: Alexithymia is the inability of an individual to adequately recognise and describe their emotions, which directly affects mental health by precipitating psychological disorders or by causing a disturbance to interpersonal functioning, coping responses, and quality of life. The purpose of this research was to test the efficacy of alexithymia reduction treatment (ART), a pilot online group intervention specifically designed to ameliorate alexithymia in men. Methods: As this was a pilot study, a small sample consisting entirely of male university students (n = 20) was selected. The participants were screened on the standardised measures at pre-treatment and post-treatment and were assigned to a treatment group (n = 10) or wait-list control group (n = 10). The study utilised a quasi-experimental design as the participants were assigned to the treatment and wait-list control group based on their availability to attend the therapeutic sessions. The treatment group then received ART while the wait-list control received no treatment at that time. Results: The statistical analysis showed a significant reduction in the participants' alexithymia, as well as depression and anxiety, in the treatment group but not in the wait-list control group. Conclusion: ART proves to be efficacious in reducing alexithymia. In addition, the treatment modality proved to be useful in improving the participants' general psychological distress (anxiety, depressive symptoms).