The concept of alexithymia basically points to the various problems that individuals experience in defining and expressing their feelings. A review of the literature shows that alexithymic characteristics may cause various difficulties in anger and its expression. Furthermore, it is seen that alexithymia, anger and anger expression styles are important variables to predict coping styles. From this point of view, the aim of this study is to investigate the mediator roles of anger and anger expression styles in the relationship between alexithymia and coping styles in the university sample. 

The present study included 434 college students (244 women, 190 men). In addition to the Demographic Information Form, participants were administered the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ). The mediation analysis was conducted via using PROCESS macro model with 5000 bootstrapping samples (Hayes, 2013)

The mediation analyses showed that the anger-in and anger-control mediated the relationship between alexithymia and problem-focused/emotion-focused coping styles. 

It is concluded that the relationship between alexithymia and coping styles is mediated by anger and anger expression styles. Therefore, current study emphasizes the benefit of addressing alexithymic characteristics, the frequency of anger experience, and healthy ways of anger expression simultaneously and as a whole rather than individually in psychotherapies aiming to strengthen the ways of coping with stress.

The Relationship Between Alexithymia and Coping Styles: The Mediator Roles of Anger and Anger Expression Styles