The alexithymic dimension as a resource: A study on a group of academics from the STEM area

Psychological factors, specific lifestyles and environmental stressors may influence etiopathogenesis and evolution of psychosomatic diseases. We investigate the association between severe dermopathies and psychological dimensions such as Alexithymia, i.e. deficits of emotional awareness with inability to give a name to emotional states. We conducted a survey of 107 patients suffering from atopic dermatitis or psoriasis and a group of 55 academics working in the STEM area. The survey involved filling out clinical and anamnestic forms and administering two psychological tests, PID-5 and TSIA. The outcome of all the tests were then analyzed by using a logistic regression model to detect the most significant factors that characterize the two groups. Our results suggest that the alexithymic dimension can be considered as both a predisposing element to a psychosomatic disorder (for dermopaths) and a useful "resource", with particular reference to those professional areas in which a certain degree of emotional detachment, a high capacity for attention and concentration and the use of operative thinking are functional to a successful career.