Personal characteristics of allergic patients

The subject of the research is the psychological features of individuals with allergic diseases, including the level of alexithymia, the specificity of attitudes towards illness, and the severity of somatic complaints caused by allergies. The author examines in detail aspects of the topic such as the relationship between the severity of alexithymia and the intensity of psychosomatic manifestations and personality characteristics of patients, as well as types of responses to illness among patients with varying degrees of complaints. Special attention is given to identifying personality traits of allergy sufferers, their propensity for certain character accentuations, and the influence of alexithymia on the formation of psychosomatic symptoms. The study analyzes data on the personality types of allergic patients, their perception of illness, and behavioral strategies depending on their subjective assessment of health status. The role of psychological factors in the development and maintenance of allergic conditions, as well as in shaping attitudes towards the disease, is demonstrated. Clinical interviews, the "Mini-Mult" questionnaire, the "Quantitative Assessment of the Dynamics of Neurotic Complaints," LOBI, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale were used for empirical testing of hypotheses. The novelty of the research lies in identifying the relationship between the level of alexithymia and the severity of psychosomatic complaints and personality characteristics of allergic patients. A significant contribution of the authors to the study of the topic is the demonstration that a higher level of alexithymia is characteristic of patients with more intense complaints, as well as the identification of the connection between alexithymia and the tendency towards conversion reactions and depressive states. The main conclusions of the conducted research are the establishment of the predominance of the hyperthymic personality type among allergy sufferers, the tendency to downplay the illness with low severity of complaints, and to anxious suspicion with high severity. It has been shown that the higher the level of alexithymia and the severity of complaints, the more pronounced the neurotic symptoms and pain syndrome, as well as the tendency towards hysterical and depressive manifestations. The obtained results allow for the recommendation of developing psychological support programs for allergy patients aimed at reducing the level of alexithymia and correcting attitudes towards the disease.