Psychoeducation Reduces Alexithymia and Modulates Anger Expression in a School Setting

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Adolescent Mental Health

Background:

• Bullying and violence negatively impact student well-being and mental health.
• Psychoeducational and anti-bullying programs can mitigate school violence.
• Key targets include emotional expression, regulation, alexithymia, and anger management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a psychoeducational intervention's impact on emotional recognition and regulation.
• To reduce alexithymia (difficulty identifying emotions) in adolescents.
• To prevent aggression and bullying episodes in school youth.

Main Methods:

• Psychoeducational intervention delivered to 191 adolescents (12-14 years old).
• Psychological assessments (T0 and T1) included Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), STAXI, EQ, and ERQ.
• Pre- and post-intervention data analyzed for changes in alexithymia, anger, empathy, and emotional regulation.

Main Results:

• Significant increase in empathy quotient (+10.2%) and emotional regulation reappraisal (+20.3%).
• Significant decrease in alexithymia across all participants (-14.4%), particularly those with high baseline scores.
• Improved assertive anger expression (+10.9%) noted.

Conclusions:

• Psychoeducation significantly reduces alexithymia in adolescents.
• The intervention enhances empathy and emotional regulation skills.
• Findings suggest psychoeducation is a viable strategy for preventing school violence and improving adolescent mental health.