Objective: To identify gender and age differences in alexithymia and anxiety.
Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2018 to March 2019 at Burewala, a city of South Punjab and comprised adolescents selected through random sampling method from different schools. The subjects were assessed using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale. Multiple analysis of variance was applied to determine the direct and interactive effects of age groups and gender on alexithymia and anxiety symptoms.
Results: Of the 185 subjects, 105(57%) were boys and 80(43%) were girls. The overall mean age was 14.42+/-1.31 years (range: 11-16 years). Boys had significantly (p<0.05) higher level of alexithymia symptoms partially compared to the girls. Significant (p<0.05) interactive effects of age and gender were also noted.
Conclusions: The presence of clinical symptoms in schoolgoing adolescents may hinder physical and psychological health of adolescents.
Keywords: Alexithymia symptoms, Anxiety symptoms, Adolescents..