Relationship between BIS/BAS systems along with emotional regulation difficulties and alexithymia

Introduction: Studies related to investigating reasons of mental disorders emphasize on role of environmental factors in creation of the disorders. For this reason, in this paper, a research was conducted to investigate the relationship between BIS/BAS systems and emotional regulation difficulties with alexithymia. Methods: 200 undergraduate students of University of Tabriz in majors including humanities, engineering, and basic science were selected in 2012-2013 academic year through applying multistage random clustering sampling method. The data were collected through questionnaires of Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), behavioral activation/inhibition system (Carver and White) and Difficulty Emotion Regulation Scale (Gratz). To analyse the data, Pearson Correlation Coefficient and Stepwise Regression were used. Correspondence: Saeedeh Khalilzad Behruzian, PhD Student. Department of Psychology, Tabriz University. Tabriz, Iran Tel:+98 9144159628 Email: [email protected] Results: BIS and BAS systems indicated positive and significant relationship with general Alexithymia and components of difficulty Identifying emotions and externally oriented thinking subscales. Positive and significant relationship was found between Alexithymia and Difficulty Emotional Regulation and its components except subscale of Lack of Emotional Awareness.  Positive significant relationship was also found between difficulty Identifying emotions and difficulty describing emotions with all components of emotional regulation difficulty except Lack of emotional clarity. Conclusion: Results showed that alexithymia has relationship with difficulty in emotion regulation and brain behavioral systems. This relationship can explain reward sensitivity system disorders and emotion regulation problems including addiction, alcoholism, sensitivity inhibitory systems disorders like anorexia nervosa and some personality disorders.