Alexitimia, crime e saúde mental : um estudo exploratório com a população reclusa masculina em Portugal

Abstract

On a national level, very little is known about the prevalence of alexithymia in the prison context and its relation to crime and mental health. The present study aims to estimate the prevalence of alexithymia and psychopathology indicators, analyze the relation between alexithymia and psychopathology indicators, analyze the relation between psychopathology indicators and crime and violence and lastly, analyze the relation between alexithymia and crime and violence. A sample of 169 inmates from various prisons across the country was gathered. The instruments applied were the Alexithymia Toronto Scale (TAS-20), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and a sociodemographic and criminal questionnaire. The results showed a prevalence of 22.4% of alexithymia and of 33.3% of emotional disorders. There was also an association between alexithymia and the BSI dimensions. Alexithymia and the practice of violence and crime were not related.

Date of Award	2021
Original language	Portuguese
Supervisor	Ana Rita Conde Dias (Supervisor) & Maria Teresa Soares Souto (Supervisor)