ArticlePeerJ2021
What do alexithymia items measure? A discriminant content validity study of the Toronto-alexithymia-scale-20.
Article in PeerJ, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Baseline blink reflex R2 changes correlate with affective and interoceptive domains in functional movement disorders.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2026Article
- Assessing alexithymia in chronic pain: psychometric properties of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 and Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire.Pain reports · 2025Article
- Exploring alexithymia with the French Perth alexithymia questionnaire: latent structure, profiles, and links with affective outcomes.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- How physical multimorbidity affected the mental health and healthcare utilization of patients with severe mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic and earthquakes.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Alexithymia is associated with insomnia in Chinese patients with schizophrenia.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
- Burnout Syndrome and COVID-19 Lockdown: Research on Residential Care Workers Who Assume Parental Roles with Youths.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Effects of comprehensive nursing intervention based on self-disclosure on improving alexithymia in elder patients with coronary heart disease.BMC nursing · 2022Article
- Assessing alexithymia across negative and positive emotions: Psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundQuestions have been raised about whether items of alexithymia scales assess the construct alexithymia and its key features, and no other related constructs. This study assessed the (discriminant) content validity of the most widely used alexithymia scale, i.e., the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20).
methodsParticipants (
resultsResults revealed that, overall, the TAS-20 did only partly measure 'alexithymia'. Only the subscales 'difficulty identifying feelings' and 'difficulty describing feelings' represented 'alexithymia' and their intended construct, although some content overlap between these subscales was found. In addition, some items assessed (health) anxiety equally well or even better.
conclusionsRevision of the TAS-20 is recommended to adequately assess all key features of alexithymia. Findings with the TAS-20 need to be interpreted with caution in people suffering from medical conditions.
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