Patients with depression exhibit high rates of alexithymia, representing a major public health concern. To test alexithymia we used toronto alexithymia scale tas20, to test emotional. There are also some instruments that are specific to alexithymia, one of which is the toronto alexithymia scale tas 20 bagby et al. We investigated alexithymia among foodallergic youths, compared to a matched healthy sample. The internet administration version of the 20 item toronto alexithymia scale. A higher score on the tas 20 indicates a greater level of alexithymia. The tas 20 is a selfreport scale that is comprised of 20 items. The 20item 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 dutch language version of the toronto structured. In order to evaluate aspects of concurrent validity, a part of the sample n 116 completed the ptias, the twentyitems toronto alexithymia scale tas20. The multifaceted nature of alexithymia a neuroscientific. In addition, an important role is attributed to early childhood trauma and dissociation. These facets can be considered to capture difficulties in the cognitive. The 20item toronto alexithymia scale tas20 was developed a decade ago, and has since become the most widely used instrument for assessing alexithymia in both research and clinical practice. The toronto alexithymia scale is a measure of deficiency in understanding, processing, or describing emotions. Seguendo le istruzioni sotto elencate indichi quanto e daccordo o no.
The 20item toronto alexithymia scale tas20 is the most widely used selfreport measure of alexithymia. The aim of this study is to investigate the psychometric properties of a new measure of alexithymia, the psychological treatment inventory alexithymia scale ptias. Alexithymia is a particular personality feature characterized by ones difficulty in identifying and describe his or her emotions. Tilburg university alexithymia is associated with low. A psychometric comparison of the tas20 and the oas 1 a psychometric comparison of the toronto alexithymia scale tas20 and the observer alexithymia scale oas in an alcohol dependent sample fred arne thorberg, m. Box 90153, 5000 le tilburg, the netherlands bfaculty of social sciences, open university of the netherlands, p. This study evaluated the reliability and factorial validity of an italian translation of the tas20 in a group of normal adults n 206 and in a mixed group of medical and. Wong and law 2002 reveals that leadership and emotional. The role of alexithymia and coping strategies in eating. Versione italiana del maternity social support scale msss 4. The tsia and the 20item toronto alexithymia scale tas20 were administered to 85 psychiatric inpatients and to 76 medical outpatients with the symptom of tinnitus. Risc whereas depression was evaluated using the 17. Some researchers, however, have questioned the stability of the.
In controls, tas 20 scores positively correlated with signal in bilateral mpfc. The tas 20 consists of 20 items rated on a fivepoint likert scale ranging from one strongly disagree to five strongly agree. We sought to examine relationships between depression severity and alexithymia as assessed by the toronto alexithymia scale tas20 and the tas20 subscales of difficulty identifying feelings dif, difficulty describing feelings ddf, and externally oriented thinking. Toronto alexithymia scale 20 measures database education. Jul 15, 2009 as far as we know, there is only one study evaluating the psychometric properties of the tas 20 in a sample of 12 to 17yearold adolescents in finland. Scale rfs, and found that it was strongly associated with tas20 scores in a sample of patients with chronic medical disease. Factorial validity of the toronto alexithymia scale tas20. Frontiers mindfulness and suicide risk in undergraduates.
Download limit exceeded you have exceeded your daily download allowance. Ewft were administered to 103 undergraduate students. The measurement of alexithymia in children and adolescents. However, this scale was developed for a different purpose and does not aim primarily at assessing alexithymia with the rorschach. Firstly, the psychometric properties of the 20item toronto alexithymia scale tas20 and the alexithymia questionnaire for children aqc that measure the three dimensions of alexithymia dif, difficulty identifying feelings. Toronto alexithymia scale 20 tas20 the tas20 b agby et al. Effects of emotion recognition and alexithymia on motivation. The contribution of alexithymia to obsessivecompulsive. Alexithymia scale tas 20, and the fear of intimacy scale fis. Psychometric properties of the 20item toronto alexithymia. Several factor models were examined, but all models were rejected given their poor fit. Alexithymia is a personal trait characterized by the subclinical inability to identify and describe emotions experienced by ones self or others. The present study investigates the cognitive, affective, and physiological aspects of alexithymia. A total of 2,633 undergraduates completed the mindful attention awareness scale maas, the suicidal behaviors questionnaire revised sbqr, and the 20item toronto.
In this study, we consider the relationships between alexithymia and coping skills in different types of ed, in order to identify the specific role of these constructs in predicting dysfunctional eating symptoms. The 20item toronto alexithymia scale tas20 has been shown in previous research to measure a general dimension of alexithymia with three intercorrelated factors. Eot, externallyoriented thinking were explored in various samples of children, adolescents or. Bagby rm1, ayearst le2, morariu ra2, watters c3, taylor gj4. To analyze the association between alexithymia and alcohol intake during adolescence, also in relation to psychopathology, in order to identify psychological risk factors for alcohol misuse.
Items are rated using a 5point likert scale whereby 1 strongly disagree and 5 strongly agree. Iris e il sistema di gestione integrata dei dati della ricerca persone, pubblicazioni, progetti, attivita adottato dalluniversita di palermo, e ha lo scopo di raccogliere, conservare, documentare, e diffondere ad accesso aperto le informazioni relative alla produzione scientifica degli autori afferenti all. Alexithymia, psychopathology and alcohol misuse in. The internet administration version of the 20item toronto alexithymia scale. Applying the tas20 for alexithymia to adolescents and analyzing the associations with psychological distress, eating behavior, and styles of attachment. Motivation and emotionbook2015alexithymia wikiversity. Over the years, there has been an accumulation of evidence that the scale is reliable and valid. Archivio istituzionale della ricerca delluniversita degli studi di palermo. Research has yielded considerable evidence that the tas20 is a. Vingerhoetsa adepartment of psychology, tilburg university, p. 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 order to evaluate aspects of concurrent validity, a part of the sample n 116 completed the ptias, the twentyitems toronto alexithymia scale tas20 and the bermondvorst alexithymia questionnaire bvaq. The construct validity of alexithymia and its assessment using the 20item toronto alexithymia scale tas20 in japan is unknown. Each was administered a set of three questionnaires.
Heart rate and skin conductance were measured during two baseline periods and during the administration of. The twenty item toronto alexithymia scale tas20 after a revised edition to the tas, a twentyitem version was devised. The perth alexithymia questionnaire paq is a 24item selfreport measure of alexithymia. Bond university research repository a psychometric. Advances in research, theory, and clinical practice. A total of 220 participants aged 925 years were assessed using the toronto alexithymia scale and the alexithymia questionnaire for children. Nellarticolo 1 del profilo professionale10 lassistenza infermieristica viene. This free test takes only a couple of minutes to complete.
If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise cambridge core to connect with your account. Alexithymia in women with anorexia nervosa cambridge core. The internet administration version of the 20item toronto. The majority of studies have found higher levels of alexithymia and a higher use of maladaptive coping strategies in individuals with eating disorders ed. The toronto alexithymia scale tas 20 is a 20item selfadministered questionnaire that includes three subscales.
Psychometric properties of the 20 item toronto alexithymia scale in younger, middle, and older adolescents. The toronto alexithymia scale tas20 is a 20item selfadministered questionnaire that includes three subscales. The current study aimed to investigate which ocd symptom. Reliability and factorial validity in a community population article pdf available in journal of psychosomatic research 553. The selfreporting scale consists of 20 items evaluating alexithymia, with a score of 15, likerttype and three subscales. Tas20 at baseline and after eight weeks of treatment.
It is recognized that alexithymia is a key factor responsible for the nonadaptive strategies of regulating emotions in people addicted to alcohol. Neuroscientific studies have mostly employed the 20item toronto alexithymia scale tas20. Item selection and crossvalidation of the factor structure article pdf available in journal of psychosomatic research 381. Alexithymia in foodallergic versus healthy children and. It was developed in 1986 and later revised, removing some of the items. Age and gender effect on alexithymia in large, japanese. Full text relationship between alexithymia and coping. Alessitimia e psicopatologia in adolescenza federazione scuole.
Click here to view the table of contents in pdf format. Assessment of alexithymia with the rorschach comprehensive. Influence of selected biomarkers on stress and alexithymia. Tas 20 toronto alexithymia scale 94 sr bvaq bermondvorst alexithymia questionnaire 01 sr oas observer alexithymia scale 00 or leas levels of emotional awareness scale 90 p mas mood awareness scale 95 sr vedi anche. Box 2960, 6401 dl heerlen, the netherlands received 21 july 1999. For this scale, a threefactor structure was proposed. 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. The tas20 more likely measures negative affects rather. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the dutch version of the toronto structured interview for alexithymia tsia in a clinical sample. We sought to examine relationships between depression severity and alexithymia as assessed by the toronto alexithymia scale tas 20 and the tas 20 subscales of difficulty identifying feelings dif, difficulty describing feelings ddf, and externally oriented thinking eot.
Center for epidemiologic studies depression scale cesd 5. The present study was designed to examine the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and suicide risk in undergraduates, and it further explored the potential mediating role of alexithymia in this relationship. Verbal fluency measures phonemic, semantic, emotion word fluency test. Alexithymia, resilience, somatic sensations and their. Toronto alexithymia scale20 tas 20 the tas 20 b agby et al. Thedatacollectionworksheetdcwisatooltoaidintegrationofaphenxprotocolintoa. Frontiers alexithymia in young adults with substance use. We have applied this scale to chilean university students and we performed analysis using different model testing procedures. Twentyitem toronto alexithymia scale tas20 springerlink. Furthermore, people with alexithymia have difficulty in distinguishing and appreciating the emotions of. A confirmatory factor analysis of the toronto alexithymia. 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. 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.
Published by cambridge university press, september, 2018. This study evaluates whether the difference in toronto alexithymia scale 20 item tas20 between patients with major depression md, panic disorder pd, eating disorders ed, and substance use disorders sud and healthy controls persisted after controlling for the severity of anxiety and depression. Finding the psychometric properties of the original toronto alexithymia scale to be flawed, developers created the tas 20 a revised measure consisting of 20 items divided into three separate factors, or domains of alexithymia. Poor attention has been dedicated to the relation between alexithymia and specific ocd symptoms dimensions. When age, gender and negativemood werecontrolledina hierarchicalregression, sensitivity topunishmentsp,sensitivity toreward.
Protocol toronto alexithymia scale tas20 phenx toolkit. Attachment style, early childhood trauma, alexithymia, and. There are 5 items that are negatively keyed items 4, 5, 10, 18 and 19. The alexithymia questionnaire for children consists of 20 items that represent the three factors difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings and. As far as we know, there is only one study evaluating the psychometric properties of the tas20 in a sample of 12 to 17yearold adolescents in finland. Alexithymia is associated with low tolerance to experimental painful stimulation ivan nykl. Total scores range from 20 to 100, with higher scores indicating higher level of alexithymia. Toronto alexithymia scale tas 20 the tas 20 is a 20 item selfreport measure of alexithymia with acceptable validity and reliability bagby et al. It compares a group of psychiatric teenagers experimental group with a group of. Please answer the following questions, using the scale provided.
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. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to evaluate the factorial validity of the toronto alexithymia scale in an alcoholdependent sample. Alexithymia in parents and adolescent anorexic daughters. A revision of the tas20 in alcoholdependent populations may be needed. Validade da versao em portugues da toronto alexithymia scale. Traits associated with internet addiction in young adults. Foodallergic patients reported higher levels of alexithymia compared to a matched healthy sample. Psychometric properties of the 20 item toronto alexithymia scale in a group of italian younger adolescents. 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. The tas 20 is primarily focused on the cognitive dimensions of alexithymia and measures three subscales. One behavioural the 20item toronto alexithymia scale ii.
I have also collaborated with investigators in many european countries including belgium, finland, germany, italy, lithuania, portugal, russia and spain. Reliability and factorial validity in a community population article pdf available in journal of psychosomatic. The internet administration version of the 20item toronto alexithymia scale article pdf available in psychological assessment 261 september 20 with 2,697 reads how we measure reads. Cross validation of the factor structure of the 20item. Alessitimia e personalita in pazienti con disturbi. A psychometric comparison of the tas 20 and the oas 1 a psychometric comparison of the toronto alexithymia scale tas 20 and the observer alexithymia scale oas in an alcohol dependent sample fred arne thorberg, m. This means that if the tas 20 is used to select alexithymic subjects for research, and there is an unusually high level of sociopathy amongst the experimental group, the results may show a slight positive but misleading correlation between alexithymia and sociopathy.
Item toronto alexithymia scale and assessing its psychometric properties in a sample of 285 normal young adults in india. My major research is on the alexithymia construct in collaboration with dr. Reliability and validity of the 20item toronto alexithymia. It is a dimensional personality trait that varies in intensity from person to person. Please answer the following questions, using the scale. The core characteristics of alexithymia are marked dysfunction in emotional awareness, social attachment, and interpersonal relating. It is a 20item selfreport instrument rated on a 5point likertype scale ranging from 1 strongly disagree to 5 strongly agree.
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