Introduction alexithymia refers to difficulty identifying, differentiating and communicating feelings, a lack of imagination and an externally oriented thinking style nemiah et al. With this aim, we studied the psychometric properties of the twentyitem toronto alexithymia scale tas20 in chilean population using. Two hundred and ten alcoholdependent participants in. The aim of the present study was to assess the validity and reliability of the oas and the tas 20 in an alcoholdependent sample. The tas 20 has demonstrated good internal consistency and testretest reliability. Due to the fact, that the revised version of this questionnaire tas 20 displays low reliability concerning the scale external oriented thinking in the german version, we decided to reinvestigate all tas 26 items. Factorial validity of the toronto alexithymia scale tas20. The current version has twenty statements rated on a fivepoint likert scale the reliability and validity of the tas20 was established by a series of articles by r. The current study aimed to investigate which ocd symptom.
Parker, 1992 seguendo le istruzioni sotto elencate indichi quanto e daccordo o no con ciascuna delle seguenti affermazioni segnando una x sopra il numero corrispondente. Psychometric properties of the 20item toronto alexithymia scale in a group of italian younger adolescents. A persons alexithymia score can be measured with questionnaires such as the toronto alexithymia scale tas20, the bermondvorst alexithymia questionnaire bvaq or the observer alexithymia scale oas. Psychometric properties of the 20item toronto alexithymia scale in. A persons alexithymia score can be measured with questionnaires such as the toronto alexithymia scale tas20, the bermondvorst alexithymia questionnaire bvaq, the online alexithymia questionnaire oaqg2 or the observer alexithymia scale oas.
Toronto alexithymia scale 20 tas 20 the tas 20 b agby et al. Explanation of alexithymia in terms of personality. A previous paper described the development of the twentyitem toronto alexithymia scale tas 20 and reported preliminary evidence of reliability and factorial validity of the scale. Pir and neo fivefactor inventory neoffi professional manual.
Total scores range from 20 to 100, with higher scores indicating higher level of alexithymia. Toronto alexithymia scale tas20 association for contextual. Items are rated using a 5point likert scale whereby 1 strongly disagree and 5 strongly. The construct validity of alexithymia and its assessment using the 20 item toronto alexithymia scale tas 20 in japan is unknown. Low reliability has been found for the third factor of the tas20 in some cultures, and the factor structure for psychosomatic disorder patients has not been adequately investigated. Does family cohesiveness and parental alexithymia predict. A persons alexithymia score can be measured with questionnaires such as the toronto alexithymia scale tas 20, the bermondvorst alexithymia questionnaire bvaq, the online alexithymia questionnaire oaqg2 or the observer alexithymia scale oas. The contribution of alexithymia to obsessivecompulsive. A deeper understanding of the relationship between alexithymia and coping strategies in somatoform disorder could lead to improved therapies. The measurement of alexithymia in children and adolescents plos. Firstly, the psychometric properties of the 20item toronto alexithymia scale tas 20 and the alexithymia questionnaire for children aqc. The tas20 is a selfreport scale that is comprised of 20 items. With this aim, we studied the psychometric properties of the twentyitem toronto alexithymia scale tas 20, which now is, the most widely used instrument to measure alexithymia.
Alexithymia, impulsiveness, and psychopathology in nonsuicidal selfinjured adolescents michela gatta,1 francesco dal santo,1 alessio rago,1 andrea spoto,2 pier antonio battistella1 1childhood adolescence family unit, ulss 16 padua university, 2department of general psychology, padua university, padova, italy introduction. It is a 20item selfreport instrument rated on a 5point likertype scale ranging from 1 strongly disagree to 5 strongly agree. Toronto alexithymia scale20 tas20 the tas20 b agby et al. The associations between pathological narcissism, alexithymia.
Due to the fact, that the revised version of this questionnaire tas20 displays low reliability concerning the scale external oriented thinking in the german version, we decided to reinvestigate all tas26 items. Toronto alexithymia scale tas 20 confused what emotion scale scale to rate how strongly the subject agrees or disagrees that heshe is often confused by what emotion heshe is feeling, as part of the toronto alexithymia scale tas 20. The observer alexithymia scale oas has also been recommended. The twentyitem toronto alexithymia scale tas20 was developed by bagby et al. Alexithymia was associated with poor education and low income level and it was more common among unmarried subjects. Pdf the internet administration version of the 20item. The tas20 has demonstrated good internal consistency and testretest reliability. Alexithymia in ptsd psychometric and fmri studies paul a. Psychometric properties of the 20 item toronto alexithymia scale in younger, middle, and older adolescents. Toronto alexithymia scale tas 20 scores were posit. Please answer the following questions, using the scale.
The reliability and validity of the tas 20 was established by a series of articles. Using the scale provided as a guide, indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements by placing an x in he appropriate place. Sep 09, 20 the internet administration version of the 20item toronto alexithymia scale article pdf available in psychological assessment 261 september 20 with 2,651 reads how we measure reads. Pdf the 20item toronto alexithymia scale tas20 has been shown. It is a dimensional personality trait that varies in intensity from person to person. The tas 20 is primarily focused on the cognitive dimensions of alexithymia and measures three subscales. Psychometric properties of the 20item toronto alexithymia. Psychological characteristics of dissociation in general. Despite replication of the factor structure, however, it cannot be assumed that observed differences in mean tas 20 scores can be interpreted similarly across different languages and cultural groups. Toronto alexithymia scale 20 measures database education. Validation of a greek adaptation of the 20item toronto alexithymia. The turkish version of the 20item toronto alexithymia.
Respondents answer each item on a 7point likerttype scale ranging from 1 strongly disagree to 7 strongly agree. Testing and validation of the 26item toronto alexithymia. A persons alexithymia score can be measured with questionnaires such as the toronto alexithymia scale tas 20, the bermondvorst alexithymia questionnaire bvaq or the observer alexithymia scale oas. After adjusting for psychological distress, these associations remained statistically significant.
If your test result indicates that you may have alexithymia, you will need further evaluation to clarify your condition. Assessments included the toronto alexithymia scale, hospital anxiety and depression scale, and two subscales of the mcgill pain questionnaire. It is a 20 item selfreport instrument rated on a 5point likertype scale ranging from 1 strongly disagree to 5 strongly agree. Click here to view the table of contents in pdf format. Advances in research, theory, and clinical practice. The prevalence of alexithymia tas 20 score 60 was 9. This paper presents the authorized german version of the 26item toronto alexithymia scale tas 26. Age and gender effect on alexithymia in large, japanese. The tas20 is primarily focused on the cognitive dimensions of. The twenty item toronto alexithymia scale tas20 after a revised edition to the tas, a twentyitem version was devised. Available in dutch, english, arabic, french, farsi, italian, spanish, and polish. It is known that alexithymia is associated with psychological distress. Item selection and crossvalidation of the factor structure article pdf available in journal of psychosomatic research 381.
Unfortunately this leads to a confusion with other psychological concepts which are distinct in a number of important ways. The toronto alexithymia scale tas20 is a 20item selfreport measure of alexithymia. The internet administration version of the 20item toronto alexithymia scale article pdf available in psychological assessment 261 september 20 with. The tas 20 is a selfreport scale that is comprised of 20 items. Pdf cross validation of the factor structure of the 20item toronto. This free test takes only a couple of minutes to complete. This paper presents the authorized german version of the 26item toronto alexithymia scale tas26. Items are rated using a 5point likert scale whereby 1 strongly disagree and 5 strongly agree. It is a personality trait that varies in severity from person to person. The toronto alexithymia scale is a measure of deficiency in understanding, processing, or describing emotions. Psychometric properties of the 20item toronto alexithymia scale in younger, middle, and older adolescents.
Measurement invariance of english and french language. A 10item scale designed to measure respondents tendency to regulate their emotions in two ways. It was developed in 1986 and later revised, removing some of the items. Nonsuicidal selfinjury nssi is a multifaceted phenomenon and. Fsi but not frequency of either masturbation or of partnered sexual activity excluding pvi, as measured by both sexual behavior diaries and recall, was associated with less alexithymia hence, more emotional integration as measured by the toronto alexithymia scale tas20 in a sample of healthy german women. Relationship between alexithymia and coping strategies in patients with somatoform disorder toshiyuki tominaga,1,4 hyungin choi,2 yasuhide nagoshi,3 yoshihisa wada,4 kenji fukui41health management doctors office mental health, salary, personnel health, and welfare division, kyoto prefecture, japan. Finding the psychometric properties of the original toronto alexithymia scale to be flawed, developers created the tas20 a revised measure consisting of 20 items divided into three separate factors, or domains of alexithymia. In the initial validational study, exploratory factor analysis. The twentyitem toronto alexithymia scale the twentyitem toronto alexithymia scale tas20 was developed by bagby et al. Laniusb,c adepartment of psychology, the university of western ontario, ontario n6a sas, canada bdepartment of psychiatry, the university of western ontario, ontario n6a sas, canada cdepartment of neuroscience, the university of western ontario.
The toronto alexithymia scale tas was the first alexithymia measure validated in accordance with modern psychometric research, and its 20item version tas 20, especially, is an internationally used measures of alexithymia 45. The alexithymia construct is commonly measured with the 20 item toronto alexithymia scale tas 20, with more than 20 different language translations. Motivation and emotionbook2015alexithymia wikiversity. Alexithymia was measured with the 20item toronto alexithymia scale tas 20, depression severity was evaluated with the 17item hamilton depression rating scale hamd and suicide risk was.
Despite replication of the factor structure, however, it cannot be assumed that observed differences in mean tas20 scores can be interpreted similarly across different languages and cultural groups. Sixtythree persons 34 psychiatric inpatients, 29 healthy controls first. Toronto alexithymia scale tas20 is a reliable and valid. The 20item toronto alexithymia scale tas20 the tas20 is the most widely used assessment model and is a selfreport instrument consisting of 20 items to be rated on a fivepoint likert scale taylor et al. The construct validity of alexithymia and its assessment using the 20item toronto alexithymia scale tas20 in japan is unknown. We have applied this scale to chilean university students and we performed analysis using different model testing procedures. Hebrew 19, hungarian 23, hindi 24, farsi 25, italian. Alexithymia is not classified as a mental disorder in the dsm iv.
Twentyitem toronto alexithymia scale tas20 springerlink. The twenty item toronto alexithymia scale tas 20 after a revised edition to the tas, a twentyitem version was devised. This paper describes a study that further evaluated the construct. Published by cambridge university press, september, 2018. Results narcissistic grandiosity, vulnerability, and alexithymia were positively related to disordered eating attitudes. The twentyitem toronto alexithymia scale tas 20 was developed by bagby et al. Factorial validity of the toronto alexithymia scale tas. Description of the toronto alexithymia scale tas 20 the toronto alexithymia scale tas 20 is a 20item, selfadministered questionnaire that includes three subscales. Note the arousal as indicative of threat and selfand other protective needs. Assessments included the toronto alexithymia scale, hospital anxiety and depression scale, and two subscales of.
Alexithymia has been studied widely recently and measurement methods before 1985 were. Toronto alexithymia scale tas20 ifemdr institut francais d. What alexithymia isnt alexithymia is sometimes loosely characterised as a lack of emotional expression or reactivity. Knowledge about which alexithymia domains are the most affected ones in ocd dimensions could inform clinical practice, suggesting the need for the introduction of psychotherapeutic interventions targeting alexithymia deficits. The toronto alexithymia scale of 20 items tas 20, another selfreporting scale, is the most widely used measure of alexithymia. This study investigated the relationship of alexithymia with personality dimensions in a sample of general population. Alexithymia was assessed by the 20item toronto alexithymia scale tas20 to assess the severity of alexithymia,14. The phenx toolkit is a catalog of highpriority measures for consideration and inclusion in genomewide association studies gwas and other large scale genomic research efforts. The total alexithymia score is the sum of responses to all 20 items, while the score for each.
Alexithymia, impulsiveness, and psychopathology in. I am also a fellow of the american academy of psychoanalysis and dynamic psychiatry. Please answer the following questions, using the scale provided. Poor attention has been dedicated to the relation between alexithymia and specific ocd symptoms dimensions. The toronto alexithymia scale of 20 items tas20, another selfreporting scale, is the most widely used measure of alexithymia. Nonsuicidal selfinjury nssi is a multifaceted phenomenon and a.
The phenx toolkit is a catalog of highpriority measures for consideration and inclusion in genomewide association studies gwas and other largescale genomic research efforts. I received my medical degree from the university of otago, new zealand in 1964 and completed my psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine training at the university of toronto and the state university of new york, downstate medical center. In addition, the fullscale tas20 and the first two factors show adequate to good internal reliability for most of the translations. Scale tas20 corresponding to the theoretical conceptualization of the alexithymia construct could be. Explanation of alexithymia in terms of personality dimensions.
The beck depression inventory bdi, statetrait anxiety inventory stai, diagnostic criteria for psychosomatic research dcpr, brief symptom inventory bsi, and toronto alexithymia scale tas20 were used to perform psychometric assessment. Generating an epub file may take a long time, please be patient. The 20 item toronto alexithymia scale tas 20 the tas 20 is the most widely used assessment model and is a selfreport instrument consisting of 20 items to be rated on a fivepoint likert scale taylor et al. The authors assessed, in an adolescent population sample, the internal consistency, testretest stability, and factor structure of the toronto alexithymia scale tas 20 and established the. The current version has twenty statements rated on a fivepoint likert scale. Padua university, 2department of general psychology, padua university, padova, italy introduction. Alexithymia moderated the relationships between narcissistic vulnerability and the total score of disordered eating attitudes. Seguendo le istruzioni sotto elencate indichi quanto e daccordo o no. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the level of alexithymia, psychosocial factors, and coping strategies. Alexithymia is a particular personality feature characterized by ones difficulty in identifying and describe his or her emotions. Italian 23 italy psychiatric and medical patients 642 0. Alexithymia, psychological distress, and pain were assessed in 30 individuals with crps in comparison to 30 gender and agematched persons with lower back pain lbp.
Psychometric properties of the 20 item toronto alexithymia scale in a group of italian younger adolescents. Toronto alexithymia scale tas20 confused what emotion scale scale to rate how strongly the subject agrees or disagrees that heshe is often confused by what emotion heshe is feeling, as part of the toronto alexithymia scale tas20. In addition, the italian tas20 demonstrated adequate estimates of. The remaining twenty items, hereafter referred to as the twentyitem toronto alexithymia scale tas20, were subsequently factor analyzed principal axis factoring, three factors rotated to a varimax solution. Le questionnaire toronto alexithymia scale tas20 est disponible en. The 20item version of the toronto alexithymia scale tas20 was given to 5,993 subjects.
1497 930 131 1020 1146 764 1148 1490 28 1407 313 1179 1332 753 894 1504 852 1234 841 429 363 105 591 689 623 1447 347 257 1146 415 255 578 11 1398 1062 1239