Investigation of Alexithymia, Anxiety and Loneliness State in Bruxism Patients

• Published in: Meandros medical and dental journal Vol. 21; no. 3; pp. 182 - 188
• Main Authors: Talay Çevlik, Esra, Alkan Demetoğlu, Göknil, Çevik Akyıl, Rahşan, Akyıl, Musa Şamil
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Turkish
• Published: Aydın Adnan Menderes Üniversitesi 01.12.2020; Galenos Publishing House
• Subjects: Age; Alexithymia; Anxiety; Dentistry; Emotions; Interviews; Jaw; Loneliness; Marital status; Patients; Questionnaires; Sleep; Statistical analysis; Teeth; Temporomandibular joint disorders; Tıp; Aydın; Los Angeles California; United States > US; California; state anxiety; yalnızlık; uyku bruksizmi; Alexithymia; awake bruxism; Aleksitimi; sürekli kaygı; sleep bruxism; loneliness; trait anxiety; uyanık bruksizm; durumluk kaygı
• ISSN: 2149-9063; 2149-9063
• DOI: 10.4274/meandros.galenos.2020.85547

Objective: Bruxism is a common condition that is described as a diurnal or nocturnal repetitive jaw-muscle movement involving teeth clenching and grinding. This present study aimed to determine the levels of alexithymia, anxiety and loneliness in bruxism patients and to investigate whether associations exist among them. Materials and Methods: A total of 81 participants (51 women and 30 men) were evaluated. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with the participants using the Toronto Alexithymia scale-20, The University of California Los Angeles Loneliness scale (UCLA-LS) and State-Trait anxiety inventory (STAI-I and II). Results: The study revealed that none of the participants was alexithymic. On the other hand, the highest mean score for the UCLA-LS (54.6±6.1) was found in the 51 years and above age group. The mean STAI-I was highest in the 18-28 years age group (41.1±9.4) and among females (44±7.2), university graduates (40.3±9.2) and singles (41±9.4). The mean STAI-II score was found to be highest in the 40-50 years age group (48.7±14.8) and among females (44±7.2), high school graduates (43.4±11.1) and singles (42.6±8.5). The distribution of the mean trait anxiety scores was found to be statistically significant with regard to gender (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that individuals with bruxism who were evaluated within the scope of this study were not alexithymic; however, they had high levels of loneliness. The alexithymia, loneliness and state and trait anxiety scores had significant positive associations with each other.