Occurrence of Alexithymia and Its Association with Sports Practice from a Sample of University Students: Results from a French Cross-Sectional Study

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of alexithymia in a sample of university students and to determine its association with specific sports practice characteristics (competition and training). In this cross-sectional study, anthropometric data and characteristics of sport practice were collect...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Healthcare (Basel) 2022-04, Vol.10 (5), p.788
Main Authors: Proença Lopes, Catarina, Allado, Edem, Essadek, Aziz, Poussel, Mathias, Henry, Audrey, Albuisson, Eliane, Hamroun, Aghilès, Chenuel, Bruno
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Addictions
Alexithymia
Anxiety
Athletes
athletic student
Cross-sectional studies
Data analysis
emotion
Human health and pathology
Humanities and Social Sciences
Life Sciences
Mental depression
non-athletic student
Population
Psychiatrics and mental health
Psychology
Questionnaires
Santé publique et épidémiologie
Self image
University students
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Summary:This study aimed to assess the prevalence of alexithymia in a sample of university students and to determine its association with specific sports practice characteristics (competition and training). In this cross-sectional study, anthropometric data and characteristics of sport practice were collected, as well as level of alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale, (TAS-20)). The study included 253 French university students who completed a questionnaire specifying their regular sports practice and level of alexithymia (TAS-20). We found 76 subjects (30%) who had proven alexithymia and 92 (36.4%) who were borderline alexithymic. A significant positive relationship between alexithymia and the weekly amount of training practice was observed. It should be noted that students who engage in more than 5 h of physical activity are more prone to be borderline or alexithymic (respectively, 19.6 and 19.7% versus 7.1% for non-alexithymics; = 0.03). With a 30% frequency, alexithymia is more prevalent in this context than in the general population. Furthermore, alexithymia and borderline alexithymia are most favorably associated with higher physical activity (over 5 h per week).
ISSN:2227-9032
2227-9032
DOI:10.3390/healthcare10050788