Estimer la prévalence de l’alexithymie dans un échantillon d’adolescents scolarisés de la région de Sfax (Tunisie) et évaluer ses liens avec l’impulsivité.

Étude transversale ayant inclus 474 élèves. Les participants ont rempli, après consentement, une fiche de renseignements épidémiologiques, l’échelle d’alexithymie de Toronto (TAS-20) et l’échelle d’impulsivité de Barratt (BIS-11).

L’âge moyen a été de 14,77±1,75 ans avec un sex-ratio de 0,96. La prévalence de l’alexithymie a été de 35,86 % et celle de l’impulsivité de 39 %. Les adolescents alexithymiques ont eu un degré plus élevé d’impulsivité (27,4 % vs 11,8 %) avec une corrélation positive entre les scores de TAS20 et de Barratt.

Il ressort de notre étude que l’alexithymie est fréquente chez nos adolescents. Son association à l’impulsivité met en exergue la nécessité de sa prévention.

The study of alexithymia in adolescence seems particularly interesting for various reasons. First, physical, psychological and social changes create new experiences of emotional reactivation. Second, the adolescent period coincides with the maturation of the hormonal, neuronal, and cognitive systems that underlie the development of emotional regulation. Finally, evidence suggests that alexithymia may have detrimental consequences in adolescents, including substance use disorders, depression, anxiety, behavioral disorders and self-injury. Also, alexithymia is associated with impulsivity because of a deficit in the cognitive processing of emotions with tendencies to act rather than talking about feelings. The purpose of the current study is to estimate the prevalence of alexithymia in a sample of school-aged adolescents in the Sfax region (Tunisia) and to evaluate its links with impulsivity.

Cross-sectional study involving 474 students from public institutions in the Sfax region. Participants completed, after consent, an epidemiological fact sheet, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11).

The average age of the students was 14.77±1.75 years with extremes ranging from 13 to 18 years old. The sex ratio was 0.96. The prevalence of alexithymia was 35.86% and that of impulsivity 39%. The analytical study showed that alexithymic adolescents had a higher degree of impulsivity (27.4% vs 11.8%, p=0.001) with a positive correlation between TAS20 and Barratt scores (p<10⁻³ ; r=0,33).

Our study shows that alexithymia is common in our adolescents and is associated with impulsivity. The prevention of alexithymia seems essential to reduce the frequency of impulsive behavior.