Anger and alexithymic characteristics of the patients diagnosed with insomnia: a control group study

The research was designed with a descriptive purpose to compare the alexithymic characteristics, trait anger and anger expression styles of those who are diagnosed with insomnia with those who are not. It was conducted with 96 patients who applied to Department of Sleep Disorders and were diagnosed with insomnia and 96 volunteers were not diagnosed with any psychiatric diagnosis and had not any sleep disorders in two Medical Faculty Hospitals in west of Turkey. Three types of forms were used to collect research data. The first form is the Sociodemographic Characteristics Form, the second one is The Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the third one is the Trait Anger-Anger Expression Scale. It was determined that the patients diagnosed with insomnia had displayed much more alexithymic characteristics than control group. Insomniac patients had higher level of anger and anger expression-in than the control group was found. In accordance with the findings, it is suggested that more comprehensive data should be obtained from the patients having sleeping problems and, that the nursing interventions on the patients' recognition, expression and anger management should be reflected on the nursing holistic care.