The Relationships Between Alexithymia and Perceived Stress in Junior School Students:The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem

To learn more about the mediating role of self-esteem in the relationships between alexithymia and perceived stress among junior school students, a sample of 686 junior school students in Wenzhou city was tested with Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-26) , Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Self-Esteem Scale.It is found that the alexithymia scores of particpants were significantly higher than that of the national norm (P < 0.01) , with no significant difference found between genders;Alexithymia was significantly and positively correlated with perceived stress (P< 0.01) , while negatively correlated with selfesteem (P< 0.01) ;and self-esteem was significantly negatively correlated with perceived stress (P< 0.01) ;Alexithymia can directly predict perceived stress and can also influence perceived stress through self-esteem.The results showed that the alexithymia of junior high school students is rather serious, and self-esteem played partly a mediating role in the relationships