The relationship between alexithymia and clinical features in rhinoplasty patients

Summary Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the incidence of alexithymia in rhinoplasty patients before and after surgery, and to increase the value of alexithymia analysis. The study also aimed to evaluate self-esteem and rhinoplasty outcome scores together. Material and Methods: Patients who had undergone rhinoplasty were enrolled in the study, and they were grouped according to gender, marital status, working status, indication (functional or aesthetic), and type of surgery (primary or revision). Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS20), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Rhinoplasty Outcome Evaluation (ROE), and Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) surveys were used to assess their relationship with alexithymia. Results: We observed significantly higher alexithymia and lower self-esteem scores in females, widows, those with aesthetic indication, those who required revision surgery, and those who had never worked, and a significant correlation was observed except for marital status (p < 0.05) . After the surgery, significant improvement was found in TAS-20 and RSES according to preoperative scores (p < 0.05) . There was a significant inverse correlation between TAS20 and ROE scores, while a positive correlation was observed between RSES and ROE scores (p < 0.05) .