ArticleBMC medical education2025
Latent profile of alexithymia in Chinese nursing students and its relationship with anxiety, depression, and stress: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC medical education, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Alexithymia in nurses: a context-specific concept analysis using rodgers's evolutionary methodology.BMC psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Article
- Identification of adaptation subgroups among Chinese nursing students: an integrated latent profile and network intervention simulation analysis.BMC nursing · 2026Article
- Alexithymia of nursing students in higher vocational college: application of latent profile analysis and network analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- The relationship between the latent profiles of alexithymia and self-disclosure in female patients with pelvic floor dysfunction.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
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7 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundIn this study, we aimed to explore the potential types of alexithymia in nursing students and their relationships with depression, anxiety, and stress and provide a reference for formulating targeted intervention programs. Understanding the mental health status of nursing students is critical for preparing the next generation of nurses and improving the quality of nursing services. Therefore, understanding the different subtypes of alexithymia in nursing students and their relationships with depression, anxiety, and stress is crucial.
methodsThis study employed a cross-sectional survey design. Socio-demographic questionnaire for nursing students was used alongside the Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-20) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). Latent profile analysis was used for identifying potential alexithymia categories in nursing students and analyzing the relationships between these alexithymia categories and depression, anxiety, and stress.
resultsAmong the participants, 7.63% (29/380) of the students had an affective disorder score ≥ 61; depressive symptoms were present in 16.6% (63/380) of the participants. Anxiety symptoms were reported by 22.6% (86/380) of nursing students. Stress symptoms were identified in 4.2% (16/380) of the sample, indicating a significant need for addressing the psychological state of nursing students. Alexithymia in nursing students can be categorized into three groups: without alexithymia, reflected by low difficulty identifying feelings (DIF) and difficulty describing feelings toward others (DDF) scores (29%); the medium-risk group of alexithymia, reflected by high DIF and DDF scores (37.5%); and the high-risk group of alexithymia, (33.5%). Nursing students without alexithymia, reflected by lower DIF and difficulty describing feelings toward others (DDF) scores, had lower risks of depression, anxiety, and stress than did nursing students who might have alexithymia (OR = 0.054, 0.075, 0.052; P < 0.05).
conclusionThree distinct characteristics of alexithymia among the nursing students were identified. Those with higher alexithymia scores reported significantly higher levels of anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms. Routine screening for alexithymia might help identify students at a higher risk of psychological distress; further research on targeted support strategies is warranted. Although longitudinal studies are needed for establishing temporal relationships, these results emphasize the importance for considering emotional abilities in mental health initiatives for nursing students.
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