Executive Functions, Alexithymia, Emotional Coping, and Mental Wellness in Patients with Panic Disorder

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation among executive functions, alexithymia, emotional coping and mental wellness in patients with panic disorder. The study aimed to examine the association between study variables, the intermediating role of alexithymia, and the moderating effects of emotional coping. The study was conducted by getting the questionnaire filled out by the targeted population, followed by a descriptive analysis among 230 purposively selected participants (106 men and 124 women) aged 19–45 diagnosed with panic disorder. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS-26; Pearson correlational analysis was carried out to determine the correlations of the variables of interest. The study also relied upon the SPSS macro process extension of the mediation and moderation analysis to obtain detailed information explaining the relationships. The findings revealed that there were significant associations among study variables, along with mediating and moderating roles for variables of interest. This study emphasizes the importance of considering executive functioning deficits, alexithymia tendencies, and emotion-focused coping patterns in understanding and maintaining psychological well-being, and highlights the need to account for cultural, gender-specific, and clinical factors in the perception and management of panic disorder to better understand the unique mental health challenges faced by such patients in Pakistan.