Emotional Processing Difficulties and Psychological Outcomes Following Earthquake Trauma: The Role of Alexithymia

This study investigated the unique roles of alexithymia subdimensions—Difficulty Identifying Feelings (DIF), Difficulty Describing Feelings (DDF), and Externally Oriented Thinking (EOT)—in predicting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG) among 99 individuals directly affected by the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake. Utilizing a predictive correlational design, multiple regression analyses revealed that alexithymia subdimensions differentially predicted distress and growth outcomes. Consistent with established literature, DDF was the sole significant predictor of all three PTSD symptom clusters (intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal), accounting for 35% of the variance in intrusion symptoms. This finding highlights the critical role of verbal emotional expression deficits in acute post-traumatic distress, particularly within the context of collective trauma. In contrast, PTG was not significantly correlated with the emotional subdimensions (DIF and DDF) but was negatively and significantly predicted by EOT in the domains of Changes in Self-Perception and Changes in Relating to Others. This suggests that a highly external, concrete cognitive style may function as a barrier to the reflective processes necessary for positive psychological transformation. Correlation analyses also showed no significant association between PTSD symptoms and PTG, supporting the notion that they are relatively independent psychological processes. These results underscore the necessity of targeted interventions: addressing difficulties in describing feelings to reduce acute stress and promoting internal cognitive reflection to facilitate post-traumatic growth.