302 Journal of Research in Medical and Dental Science | Vol. 6 | Issue 5 | October 2018 Journal of Research in Medical and Dental Science 2018, Volume 6, Issue 5, Page No: 302-304 Copyright CC BY-NC 4.0 Available Online at: www.jrmds.in eISSN No. 2347-2367: pISSN No. 2347-2545 Corresponding author: Hayri Demir e-mail: hdbesyo@gmail.com Received: 24/09/2018 Accepted: 20/10/2018 INTRODUCTION Alexithymia, introduced in 1973 by Sifneos et al., is defined in terms of difficulties identifying and describing one’s own emotions [1,2]. Over the past decades, little attention has been paid to alexithymia research, in particular, the ability to perceive non-emotional states of the body known as interoception–the perception of a wide range of physical states beyond emotion, including heart rate, respiratory effort, temperature, itch, pain, fatigue, hunger, thirst, satiety, sensual touch, vasomotor activity, muscular and visceral sensations [3]. Interoceptive processing and representation takes places primarily in the insula and anterior cingulate cortex [3,4]. Neuroimaging data indicate that amygdala dysfunction may play a role in alexithymia [5]. The results of a recent study indicated that alexithymia is associated with poor non-affective interoception and increased perceived similarity between affective and non-affective states. It was suggested that alexithymia is better characterized by a general failure of interoception [4] rather than being specifically associated with affective disorder. Though not many studies have been conducted on alexithymia, available data indicate that alexithymia can lead to many neuropathological situations and also may decrease the success rate of individuals who engaged in sporting activities. In a relatively recent study, Barlow et al. reported a relationship between alexithymia and the likelihood of sport accidents in healthy athletes [6]. Athletes who had difficulty identifying and describing their emotions were more likely to seek out the experience of emotions and engage in greater risk taking [6]. In another study, changes in alexithymia were evaluated among patients with scoliosis treated non-operatively. Low physical activity in the patients with idiopathic scoliosis referred for brace treatment was reported to coexist with lower Toronto Alexithymia Scale-26 (TAS-26) scores in the course of brace treatment [7]. It is not clear whether or alexithymia is also related to social behaviors–self-perception of social rank and relative social standing in the society, evaluated on social comparison scale. The scale is used to rate an individual and in relation to other people. It can be used to assess behaviors that affect trainee-trainer relationship, peer acceptance, performance among others [8]. Though some studies have reported lower physical activity in healthy and patients suffering from Disabled Athletes Have Higher Alexithymia Scores Compared to Disabled Non-Athletes Hayri Demir* Selçuk University, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Konya, Turkey ABSTRACT Introduction: Alexithymia means difficulties identifying and describing one’s own emotions. Aim: This study was conducted to investigate the differences in alexithymia and social comparison scale scores in disabled athletes and disabled non-athletes. Materials and Methods: One hundred and seventy-two sedentary or disabled non-athletes and 167 disabled athletes participated in the study. The Turkish version of the Social Comparison Scale was used to assess the points associated with social comparison scale. The Turkish version of Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) was used to assess the points associated with alexithymia. Results: Disabled athletes had higher alexithymia scores compared to disabled non-athletes. But, the social comparison score was not different between disabled athletes and non-athletes. Also, the alexithymia scores had positive correlation with the social comparison score in total sample and in disabled athletes, but not in non-athletes. Conclusion: The higher alexithymia scores in disabled athletes may be related to the higher depression, anxiety and psychological stress in athletes compared to non-athletes. Key words: Alexithymia, Social comparison, Disability, Athlete HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Hayri Demir*, Disabled athletes have higher alexithymia scores compared to disabled non-athletes, J Res Med Dent Sci, 2018, 6 (5):302-304