اضطراب ما بعد الصدمة والالكسيثيميا الثانوية لدى المراهق المصاب بحروق في الوجه

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the manifestations of post-traumatic stress disorder and secondary alexithymia in adolescents with facial burns, and to identify the common manifestations between post-traumatic stress disorder and secondary alexithymia in this group. This is done by asking the following questions: - What are the manifestations of post-traumatic stress disorder and secondary alexithymia in adolescents with facial burns? - What are the common features between post-traumatic stress disorder and secondary alexithymia in adolescents with facial burns? To achieve this, this study relied on the clinical approach using the case study method, and the semi-guided clinical interview, the Spielberger scale to measure the trait and state of anxiety, the Davidson post-traumatic stress scale, and the Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-20) to measure alexithymia were applied to two cases of adolescents. One of them from the University of Mohamed Kheidar Biskra and the other from the city of Biskra, who were deliberately chosen, and they were injured as children with burns in the face of the third degree, and there is still a trace of disfigurement. The results of the study showed that the burns and resulting disfigurement affected the psychological state of the injured adolescents through the manifestation of post-traumatic stress disorder manifestations on them, which were: symptoms of re-experiencing the traumatic event, avoidance symptoms, negative mood, and symptoms of excitability. Also, secondary manifestations of alexithymia, which included: difficulty in expressing feelings and distinguishing between them, especially in moments of anger, inability to express emotions and inability to understand them, rigid thinking and devoid of emotions, absence of emotional awareness, lack of empathy with others , an outward-oriented thinking pattern and intellectual rigidity (traditionally describing goals as material, adaptive, and persistently difficult to change). As for the common manifestations between post-traumatic stress disorder and secondary alexithymia in the adolescent with facial burns, it was represented in the participation in the manifestations of avoidance and emotional anesthesia, as well as in both DIF and DDF. In addition to all these symptoms, other pathological manifestations appeared on the cases, the most important of which are: low selfesteem, distorted body image, in addition to the extent of the complexity that appeared on the identity crisis in adolescents, irrational thoughts, and narcissistic wounds.