The psychometric assessment of alexithymia: Development and validation of the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire

Preece, David A.; Becerra, Rodrigo; Robinson, Ken; Dandy, Justine; Allan, Alfred

doi:10.1016/j.paid.2018.05.011

Cited by 108 publications

(158 citation statements)

References 88 publications

(128 reference statements)

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“…Factor analyses across a range of samples have consistently found that scores on markers of DIF, DDF, and EOT are positively correlated and load on the same higher-order alexithymia factor (e.g., Bagby et al, 2006;Gignac, Palmer, & Stough, 2007;. This pattern has consistently been replicated across several self-report measures, including the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20; Bagby, Parker, & Taylor, 1994), Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire (BVAQ;Vorst & Bermond, 2001) and Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ; Preece, Becerra, Robinson, Dandy, & Allan, 2018), as well as observer-rated measures like the Toronto Structured Interview for Alexithymia (TSIA; Bagby et al, 2006).…”

Section: Empirical Findingsmentioning

confidence: 81%

What is alexithymia? Using factor analysis to establish its latent structure and relationship with fantasizing and emotional reactivity

Preece

Becerra

Robinson

et al. 2020

Journal of Personality

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The term "alexithymia" was coined in the 1970s by psychoanalytic psychiatrists Sifneos and Nemiah (Nemiah & Sifneos, 1970; Sifneos, 1973). It derives from the Greek, a (lack), lexis (word), thymos (emotion), and is used to describe a cluster of cognitive and emotional processing deficits that Sifneos and Nemiah observed in patients diagnosed with psychosomatic disorders. Specifically, they observed that patients high in alexithymia seemed to have a marked inability to "describe their feelings or to differentiate among them" and "an absence of the capacity to produce fantasies with the result that [their] thought content [was] restricted to

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Section: Empirical Findingsmentioning

confidence: 81%

What is alexithymia? Using factor analysis to establish its latent structure and relationship with fantasizing and emotional reactivity

Preece

Becerra

Robinson

et al. 2020

Journal of Personality

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“…We think this might be of particular importance for providing valence-specific information about negative and positive emotions. For example, newer psychometric measures of other emotional constructs, such as emotion regulation [16][17][18], alexithymia [19] and emotional reactivity [20,21], provide valence-specific information, and have demonstrated that emotional constructs can operate differently depending on the valence of the emotion in question [see also , 22]. For the beliefs about emotions construct, this may also be the case, particularly given that certain psychopathologies are characterised by valence-specific abnormalities [see 23].…”

Section: Measuring Beliefs About Emotionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing beliefs about emotions: Development and validation of the Emotion Beliefs Questionnaire

2020

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People's beliefs about emotions may be grouped into two main categories: beliefs about the controllability of emotions and beliefs about the usefulness of emotions. These beliefs influence emotion regulation efforts and mental health, so the assessment of these beliefs is important. However, few psychometric measures are available, particularly for assessing the usefulness dimension. In this study (N = 161), we address this issue by developing and conducting an initial validation of a 16-item self-report measure called the Emotion Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ). Confirmatory factor analyses found its structure to consist of three first-order factors: a controllability factor spanning both negatively and positively valenced emotions (General-Controllability), and two valence-specific usefulness factors (Negative-Usefulness, Positive-Usefulness). All first-order factors also loaded together on a higherorder factor, representing an overall maladaptive beliefs about emotions construct. All subscale and composite scores had good levels of internal consistency. Correlational and regression analyses found that EBQ scores related in expected ways with other measures, and were significant predictors of emotion regulation abilities and psychopathology. We conclude that the beliefs about emotions construct is multidimensional, and the EBQ appears to be a promising new tool to assess it. Emotions are multidimensional phenomena, manifesting as responses across experiential, behavioral, and physiological channels of the emotion system [1]. They can be negatively or positively valenced, like sadness or happiness, and occur when people appraise a stimulus as being meaningful for their goals [2]. Research has shown that the beliefs people hold about mental phenomena such as emotions are important because they influence their responses to domain-relevant challenges and opportunities. People who believe, for example, that intelligence cannot be modified (i.e., entity theorists) are less likely to engage in efforts to develop their own cognitive abilities, as compared to people who think intelligence can change (i.e., incremental theorists) [see 3-4]. For beliefs about emotions, a similar pattern is evident. We now know that people differ, for example, in the extent to which they believe emotions are

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“…The PAQ has good concurrent validity with measures of emotion regulation (i.e. expressive suppression; r = .52;Preece et al, 2018).The NSSI Expectancies Questionnaire (NEQ; Hasking & Boyes, 2017) is a 25-item questionnaire developed to measure expectations regarding five possible outcomes of engaging self-injury. The five outcome expectancies measured are: affect regulation expectancies (e.g.…”

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confidence: 99%

A comparison of the associations between alexithymia and both non‐suicidal self‐injury and risky drinking: The roles of explicit outcome expectancies and refusal self‐efficacy

2020

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Both Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) and risky drinking are positively associated with alexithymia, a personality trait characterised by difficulties appraising feelings and an externally orientated thinking style. Although researchers have studied the associations between alexithymia and both NSSI and risky drinking, the underlying factors of both associations are rarely compared. In the current study, we compare the indirect effects of behaviour-specific outcome expectancies and self-efficacy beliefs on the associations between alexithymia and both NSSI and risky drinking. A sample of 627 university students (76.10% female, Mage = 20.75, SD = 1.88) completed a battery of questionnaires. Alexithymia exhibited indirect effects on NSSI via affect regulation expectancies, pain expectancies, communication expectancies, and low self-efficacy to resist NSSI. Alexithymia exhibited indirect effects on risky drinking via expectations of increased confidence and negative consequences. However, the indirect effects differed depending on the valance of the emotion the individual had difficulties appraising. Our findings indicate that the underlying factors in the associations between alexithymia and both NSSI and risky drinking could differ. Where individuals who have difficulties appraising negative emotions may engage in NSSI to help regulate negative feelings, they may consume alcohol to gain more confidence in expressing their feelings. Clinical implications are discussed.

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The psychometric assessment of alexithymia: Development and validation of the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire

Cited by 108 publications

References 88 publications

What is alexithymia? Using factor analysis to establish its latent structure and relationship with fantasizing and emotional reactivity

What is alexithymia? Using factor analysis to establish its latent structure and relationship with fantasizing and emotional reactivity

Assessing beliefs about emotions: Development and validation of the Emotion Beliefs Questionnaire

A comparison of the associations between alexithymia and both non‐suicidal self‐injury and risky drinking: The roles of explicit outcome expectancies and refusal self‐efficacy

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