Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Alexithymia, and Defense Mechanisms Among Medical Students of Northeastern Iran

Background: Defense mechanisms are essential to personality and behavior that help individuals deal with stress. These might act in different ways, rendering medical students caring physicians or egoistic individuals, thus, a good understanding of defense can contribute the efforts made improve psychological well-being students. Objectives: We studied prevalence generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) alexithymia as determinants by which cope stress anxiety. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 232 students, 126 (60%) females 96 (40%) males, northeast Iran. Data were collected through GAD-7, Farsi version Toronto Alexithymia Scale (FTAS-20), Styles Questionnaire (DSQ-40). Statistical analysis performed IBM SPSS 22.0. Pearson's chi-square test, bivariate correlations, multiple linear regression used identify associations between GAD, alexithymia, mechanisms. Results: A total 87 (37.5%) participants showed moderate severe detected 49 (21%) participants. Mature had highest among (56.5%), while immature least (23.3%). significant positive correlation noted GAD alexithymia. Also, positively correlated neurotic (P < 0.05). negative found mature 0.001). Suppression humor (mature mechanisms) predictors GAD. Reaction formation, somatization, autistic fantasy, splitting, passive aggression, displacement, pseudo-altruism (an mechanism) Conclusions: statistically correlations suggest these conditions alleviating improving their well-being.