DOI: 10.22122/ijbmc.v5i2.121 Published by Vesnu Publications Int J Body Mind Culture, Vol. 5, No. 2, 2018 104 http://ijbmc.org, 4 April Investigation of Alexithymia among Women with and without Thyroid Cancer in Isfahan, Iran Mansuoreh Motamedi 1 , Mozhgan Arefi 2 1 Department of Psychology, School of Education and Psychology, Khorasgan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran 2 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, School of Education and Psychology, Khorasgan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran Abstract Background: The current study aimed to investigate and compare alexithymia in women with thyroid cancer and women without thyroid cancer in Isfahan, Iran. Methods: The study population included all patients with thyroid cancer and those without cancer who were referred to Sayedalshohda Hospital in the city of Isfahan. Through convenience sampling, 25 women with thyroid cancer and 25 women without thyroid cancer were selected. The tool used for data collection was the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) (Taylor, 1986). The collected data were analyzed both descriptively – computing the mean and standard deviation – and inferentially – computing analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) – to investigate alexithymia in women with and without thyroid cancer. Results: The results showed a signifcant diference between the variables of alexithymia in the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Regarding the problems caused by cancer, it is suggested that there is a need for educating and giving consultations to patients with cancer in order for them to identify and express negative emotions, diminish their problems, and increase their ability to cope with thyroid cancer. Keywords: Cancer, Thyroid cancer, Alexithymia Citation: Motamedi M, Arefi M. Investigation of Alexithymia among Women with and Without Thyroid Cancer in Isfahan, Iran. Int J Body Mind Culture 2018; 5(2): 104-11. Introduction 1 Cancer is one of the most important health problems around the world (Newton, 2010). After cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and accidents, cancer is the third leading cause of death in Iran. Cancer and various therapies to treat it considerably influence the lives of affected people and their families and cause dramatic changes in their personal life, daily Corresponding Author: Mansuoreh Motamedi Email: fadavi.hamidreza@gmail.com activities, occupation, communication, and family roles. These are accompanied by high levels of psychological stress (Reed, 2011). On the other hand, psychological stress has a profound effect on accelerating the progression and growth of various types of malignant tumors (Moreno-Smith, Lutgendorf, & Sood, 2010). Follicular cell- derived thyroid cancers – which include about 95% of all thyroid tumors – can be classified into papillary thyroid cancer (80%), follicular thyroid cancer (10-15%), poorly differentiated thyroid cancer (3-9%) and Quantitative Study Received: 15 Jan. 2018 Accepted: 25 Mar. 2018