Do Blood Groups Explain Variance in Measures of Mental Health, Alexithymia and Psychosocial Capabilities?: A Cross Sectional Study of Healthy Young Adults

By : Uma Gupta, B. S. Gupta

Page No: 265-286

Abstract:
The major objectives of the study were to explore the differences, if any exist, between Rh positive and Rh negative individuals on the measures of mental health (stress, anxiety and depression), alexithymia (difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings and externally oriented thinking) and psychosocial capabilities (resilience, self-efficacy and flourishing) as well as the differences on these variables across blood groups. Two hundred post-graduate students participated in the study. Standardized and widely used psychometric measures were used to measure the dependent variables. The study revealed: (1) Rh positive and Rh negative participants did not differ significantly on any dependent variable; (2) participants having O blood group compared to those of A and AB blood groups had significantly higher scores on the measures of mental health and alexithymia, i.e., the negative aspects of behavior; (3) participants having A and AB blood groups compared to those of O blood group had significantly higher scores on the measures of psychosocial capabilities, i.e., the positive aspects of behavior. The therapeutic implications of the finding were also discussed.

Authors :
Uma Gupta
Professor – Department of Siddhant Darshan, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.

B. S. Gupta
Professor of Psychology (Retd.) – Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32381/JPR.2022.17.02.1