Investigators have suggested that alexithymia is a multidimensional construct and that it is responsive to situational stressors. We tested these hypotheses in a sample of 110 freshman medical students. We conducted factor analyses on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the state portion of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and then used LISREL to examine the relationships among the various factors. The results indicated that the TAS consists of several independent dimensions and that the dimensions associated with difficulties identifying and communicating feelings are positively related to depression and anxiety. Thus, the evidence now affirms that alexithymia (as measured by the TAS) is multidimensional and that certain dimensions are state dependent.
The purposes of this paper were to complete factor and item analyses of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) in a sample of mixed substance abusers and to examine the correlations between patients’ TAS scores and other variables. Results indicate that the TAS is a reliable, valid measure of alexithymia for substance abusers. The factor structure we found is congruent with the theoretical construct and is similar to those published in the normative studies; coefficient alpha reliability was 0.68. Additionally, a high percentage of the subjects (50.4%) scored in the alexithymic range while 24% had scores in the nonalexithymic range. Patients’ TAS scores were positively associated with Beck Depression Inventory scores, with a reported paternal history of alcoholism, and with attempted suicide; TAS scores were negatively associated with being Black.
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