Aleksandra Jasielska

Hemophilia is a chronic, genetic blood disease, one of a group of bleeding disorders. Numerous studies have shown that it may have an impact on quality of life. As a disease that affects functioning, it can form the basis for the development of depression. It is not uncommon for patients to deal with a chronic disease that has an unpredictable course by suppressing unpleasant emotions. The current study sought to determine whether the source of depression in patients with Hemophilia might actually lie in deficits in emotional processing and alexithymia. The study involved 47 patients with Hemophilia. The participants completed questionnaires measuring alexithymia, emotional processing, and depression. Correlations between the variables were investigated alongside whether the processing of emotions mediated the relationship between alexithymia and depression. The collected data were subjected to simple correlation analyses. Emotional processing was a mediator between alexithymia and depression. The results suggest that patients with elevated levels of alexithymia have a higher risk of developing depression if they present with deficits in emotional processing. The results indicate that the mental functioning of Hemophilic patients may be affected by alexithymia and disturbances in emotional processing. However, the burden involved in the disease also leads to the use of secondary alexithymia as a remedial strategy.