The mediator role of prefrontal functions, empathy and emotion regulation difficulties on the relationship between alexithymia and early maladaptive schema domains

The purpose of research is to investigate whether people who have different levels of alexithymia are different in terms of their early maladaptive schema domains, prefrontal functions, empathy and emotion regulation difficulty levels or not. Moreover, research investigated prefrontal functions, empathy and emotion regulation difficulty as a mediator of the relationship between alexithymia and early maladaptive schema domains. In the first step, alexithymia levels of the participants was determined and two groups were created as low alexithymia level and high alexithymia level. These two groups were compared in terms of their early maladaptive schema domains, prefrontal functions, empathy and emotion regulation difficulty. In the second step, prefrontal functions, empathy and emotion regulation difficulty used as a mediator of the relationship between alexithymia and early maladaptive schema domains. According to results of the research, the high alexithymia group has higher scores in early maladaptive schema domains and emotion regulation difficulty and lower scores in prefrontal functions and empathy when compared with low alexithymia group. The mediator role of the prefrontal functions, empathy and emotion regulation difficulty in relationship between early maladaptive schemas and alexithymia was investigated. Mediator roles for prefrontal functions and emotion regulation difficulties exist for relationship between impaired autonomy-other directedness schema domain and alexithymia but empathy is not a mediator for relationship between early maladaptive schema domains and alexithymia. Moreover, mediator role for emotion regulation difficulties exists for relationship between impaired limits-exaggerated standards schema domain and alexithymia but empathy and prefrontal functions are not a mediators for relationship between early maladaptive schema domains and alexithymia. Furthermore, mediator roles for prefrontal functions and emotion regulation difficulties exist for relationship between disconnection-rejection schema domain and alexithymia but empathy is not a mediator for relationship between early maladaptive schema domains and alexithymia. The results of the research is discussed with the consideration of the current literature.