Relationship between Executive Functions, Alexithymia and Anxiety Symptoms across Adolescence

Abstract

The current study explores the role of executive functioning in the development of alexithymia, and anxiety in adolescents and hypothesized that executive functioning is negatively related and negative predictor of alexithymia and anxiety. Further, there could be significant differences between executive functioning, alexithymia and anxiety across early and middle adolescents and the gender difference between executive functioning, alexithymia and anxiety is also expected. In the cross-sectional study, 185 adolescents selected through simple random sampling from schools of Burewala City. Alexithymia was measured by Toronto Alexithymia scale (Bagby, Parker, & Taylor, 1994) and anxiety was measured by Hamilton Anxiety Scale (Hamilton, 1959). Design Fluency Test and Color-Word Interference Test from Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (Delis, Kaplan, & Kramer, 2001) were used to measure executive functioning. The statistical analysis of Pearson product moment correlation, simple regression analyses and MANOVA were applied for hypotheses testing. The results suggested that executive function is significantly negatively correlated with Alexithymia and Anxiety but not the predictor of alexithymia and anxiety. Further the results explains that there are significant gender differences in executive functioning, Alexithymia and anxiety across early and middle adolescents. The present study concluded that adolescent’s developmental crisis leads to different problems that affect the physical and psychological health of adolescents that demands proper management and suitable interventions.