Journal of International Psychiatry

[Abstract] Objective To investigate the occurrence and risk factors of alexithymia after cerebral infarction. Methods A total of 110 patients with cerebral infarction in our hospital from February 2020 to February 2022 were selected. The Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-20) was used to assess the occurrence of alexithymia in patients. They were set as alexithymia group and control group according to the evaluation results. The general data such as age and gender were compared between the two groups, and the degree of neurological deficit and depression were evaluated. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to investigate the risk factors of post-infarction alexithymia. Results 44 cases of alexithymia were detected in 110 patients. There were significant differences in age, education level, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), hemiplegia, aphasia, combined depression, and social support levels between the two groups (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in gender, marital status, residence and monthly family income between the two groups (P>0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that the educational level of primary school and below, hemiplegia, aphasia, combined depression, low level of social support, and NIHSS score ≥15 were the risk factors for alexithymia after cerebral infarction. Conclusion The incidence of alexithymia after cerebral infarction is high, which is affected by factors such as educational level and degree of neurological deficit. Effective intervention measures should be taken for high-risk patients with alexithymia to prevent the occurrence of alexithymia.

Key words： Cerebral Infarction; Alexithymia; Risk Factors