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Preece DA, Petrova K, Mehta A, Sikka P, Gross JJ. Alexithymia or general psychological distress? Discriminant validity of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire. J Affect Disord 2024; 352:140-145. [PMID: 38320659 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.01.271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alexithymia is an important transdiagnostic risk factor for emotion-based psychopathologies. However, it remains unclear whether alexithymia questionnaires actually measure alexithymia, or whether they measure emotional distress. Our aim here was to address this discriminant validity concern via exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ). METHOD United States general community adults (N = 508) completed the TAS-20, PAQ, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21). EFA was used to examine the latent dimensions underlying these measures' scores. RESULTS Our EFA extracted two higher-order factors, an "alexithymia" factor and a "general distress" factor (i.e., depression, anxiety, stress). All PAQ scores loaded cleanly on the alexithymia factor, with no cross-loadings on the distress factor. However, for the TAS-20, Difficulty Identifying Feelings (DIF) facet scores cross-loaded highly on the distress factor. LIMITATIONS Our sample consisted of general community adults; future work in clinical settings will be useful. CONCLUSIONS Our data indicate that the PAQ has good discriminant validity. However, the TAS-20 appears to have significant discriminant validity problems, in that much of the variance in its DIF facet reflects people's current levels of distress, rather than alexithymia. The TAS-20, which has traditionally been the most widely used alexithymia questionnaire, may therefore not be the optimal alexithymia tool. Our findings add to the body of evidence supporting the validity and utility of the PAQ and suggest that, moving forward, it is a superior option to the TAS-20 for alexithymia assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Preece
- Curtin University, Curtin enAble Institute & School of Population Health, Perth, Australia; The University of Western Australia, School of Psychological Science, Perth, Australia.
| | - Kate Petrova
- Stanford University, Department of Psychology, Stanford, United States of America
| | - Ashish Mehta
- Stanford University, Department of Psychology, Stanford, United States of America
| | - Pilleriin Sikka
- Stanford University, Department of Psychology, Stanford, United States of America; University of Turku, Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, Finland; University of Turku, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Finland; University of Skövde, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience and Philosophy, Sweden
| | - James J Gross
- Stanford University, Department of Psychology, Stanford, United States of America
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Ruan QN, Liu L, Shen GH, Wu YW, Yan WJ. Alexithymia and peer victimisation: interconnected pathways to adolescent non-suicidal self-injury. BJPsych Open 2024; 10:e46. [PMID: 38344860 PMCID: PMC10897695 DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2023.653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The prevalence of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents underscores the importance of understanding the complex factors that drive this behaviour. Framed within broader constructs of emotional regulation theories, alexithymia and peer victimisation are thought to interact to influence NSSI behaviours. AIM This research addresses whether alexithymia and peer victimisation serve as risk factors for NSSI and, if so, how these factors interact with each other. METHOD This quantitative study analysed data from 605 adolescents, using a range of validated self-report measures including the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Statistical analyses including one-way analysis of variance, multiple regression and structural equation modelling were employed to scrutinise the relationships among the variables. RESULTS Alexithymia and peer victimisation significantly predicted NSSI behaviours. Specifically, the 'difficulty in identifying feelings' subscale of alexithymia emerged as a noteworthy predictor of NSSI (P < 0.001). Peer victimisation mediated the relationship between alexithymia and NSSI, explaining approximately 24.50% of alexithymia's total effect on NSSI. In addition, age was a significant predictor of NSSI, but gender and education years were not (P > 0.05). These relationships were found to be invariant across genders. CONCLUSIONS This study enriches our understanding of the interplay between alexithymia, peer victimisation and NSSI, particularly within the Chinese context. Its findings have significant implications for a rethinking of alexithymia's theoretical construct and interventions targeting emotional literacy and peer dynamics among adolescents. Future research could benefit from a longitudinal design to establish causality.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Linhui Liu
- Lishui Second People's Hospital, Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui, China
| | | | - Yu-Wei Wu
- Student Affairs Division, Wenzhou Business College, Wenzhou, China
| | - Wen-Jing Yan
- Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China; and Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Centre for Mental Illness, Affiliated Kangning Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
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Jarvers I, Ecker A, Schleicher D, Kandsperger S, Otto A, Brunner R. Anorexia nervosa during COVID-19: loss of personal control and alexithymia as important contributors to symptomatology in adolescent girls. J Eat Disord 2023; 11:180. [PMID: 37828587 PMCID: PMC10568752 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-023-00905-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, a steady increase in adolescent anorexia nervosa admissions has been observed. Contributing factors may have been uncontrollable changes in school attendance due to lockdowns and social restrictions. However, patients' reports on the impact of these factors have not been assessed in detail as of yet. Furthermore, alexithymia, the difficulty to identify and describe one's own emotions, has increased during the pandemic and is known to be heightened in eating disorders. Thus, it may have contributed to symptom severity in anorexia nervosa during the pandemic. METHODS The present study examined pandemic-related changes in social media use, body satisfaction, and perceived loss of control and their impact on depressive, anxious, and eating disorder symptomatology in a sample of adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa (n = 29) and healthy controls (n = 23). Additionally, the influence of current alexithymia as a cross-diagnostic risk factor was assessed. Adolescents answered questionnaires once shortly after admission to inpatient, outpatient, or daycare treatment. RESULTS An increase in perceived loss of control during the pandemic and heightened alexithymia explained a significant portion of variance in present depressive symptomatology, which in turn contributed to eating disorder symptomatology. CONCLUSIONS These relationships emphasize alexithymia and perceived loss of control as valuable constructs for early screenings and interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Jarvers
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstraße 84, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Angelika Ecker
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstraße 84, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Schleicher
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstraße 84, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Stephanie Kandsperger
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstraße 84, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Alexandra Otto
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstraße 84, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Romuald Brunner
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstraße 84, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
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Coppini S, Lucifora C, Vicario CM, Gangemi A. Experiments on real-life emotions challenge Ekman's model. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9511. [PMID: 37308555 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36201-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Ekman's emotions (1992) are defined as universal basic emotions. Over the years, alternative models have emerged (e.g. Greene and Haidt 2002; Barrett 2017) describing emotions as social and linguistic constructions. The variety of models existing today raises the question of whether the abstraction provided by such models is sufficient as a descriptive/predictive tool for representing real-life emotional situations. Our study presents a social inquiry to test whether traditional models are sufficient to capture the complexity of daily life emotions, reported in a textual context. The intent of the study is to establish the human-subject agreement rate in an annotated corpus based on Ekman's theory (Entity-Level Tweets Emotional Analysis) and the human-subject agreement rate when using Ekman's emotions to annotate sentences that don't respect the Ekman's model (The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows). Furthermore, we investigated how much alexithymia can influence the human ability to detect and categorise emotions. On a total sample of 114 subjects, our results show low within subjects agreement rates for both datasets, particularly for subjects with low levels of alexithymia; low levels of agreement with the original annotations; frequent use of emotions based on Ekman model, particularly negative one, in people with high levels of alexithymia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Coppini
- Department of Philosophy and Communication, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Chiara Lucifora
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, Rome, Italy.
- Department of Philosophy and Communication, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
| | - Carmelo M Vicario
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Aldo Gangemi
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
- Department of Philosophy and Communication, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Ferguson CJ, Preece DA, Schweitzer RD. Alexithymia in autism spectrum disorder. AUSTRALIAN PSYCHOLOGIST 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/00050067.2023.2174409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Cassie J. Ferguson
- School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - David A. Preece
- Curtin enAble Institute and School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Robert D. Schweitzer
- School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
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Chan J, Becerra R, Weinborn M, Preece D. Assessing Alexithymia across Asian and Western Cultures: Psychometric Properties of the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire and Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 in Singaporean and Australian Samples. J Pers Assess 2022; 105:396-412. [PMID: 35900047 DOI: 10.1080/00223891.2022.2095641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
Alexithymia refers to difficulties identifying feelings (DIF), describing feelings (DDF), and externally orientated thinking (EOT). Originally conceptualized by American psychiatrists, some researchers have since questioned the validity and application of this construct in Asian cultures. However, to date, there is little empirical work formally assessing the invariance of alexithymia across Asian and Western cultures. The present study aimed to help address this gap, by examining the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of two alexithymia measures, the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ) and Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), across samples from Singapore (n = 434) or Australia (n = 489). The same theoretically congruent factor structure was supported across both samples; this structure was fully invariant across samples for the PAQ, and partially invariant for the TAS-20. Both measures had good internal consistency and concurrent validity across samples, except the TAS-20 EOT subscale which had low internal consistency and factor loadings in both samples. The Singaporean sample reported higher DIF and DDF for positive emotions than the Australian sample. Overall, our results support the cross-cultural validity and application of the alexithymia construct. The PAQ and TAS-20 both appear to have good utility in this respect, though the PAQ may provide a more detailed facet-level profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan Chan
- University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | | | | | - David Preece
- University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.,School of Psychology, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
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Larionow P, Preece DA, Mudło-Głagolska K. Assessing alexithymia across negative and positive emotions: Psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:1047191. [PMID: 36532198 PMCID: PMC9748568 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1047191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ) is a 24-item self-report measure of alexithymia. Originally developed in English, it was designed to try to enable more comprehensive (i.e., facet-level and valence-specific) alexithymia assessments. This study aimed to introduce and validate a Polish version of the PAQ. Our sample were 1,008 people (69.44% females, 30.06% males and 0.50% non-binary) aged 18-78 (M = 29.69, SD = 14.15) from the general community. The PAQ's factor structure was verified with confirmatory factor analysis, and convergent and divergent validity were assessed via relationships with other measures of alexithymia and mental health symptoms. Our results indicated strong factorial validity, conforming to the intended subscale structure. As expected, all PAQ subscales correlated in expected directions with another established alexithymia measure, and markers of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. The PAQ showed good discriminant validity in terms of measuring an alexithymia construct that was separable from people's current level of distress. Test-retest and internal consistency reliabilities were also good. Overall, the Polish PAQ therefore appears to have strong psychometric properties. Our findings add to a growing body of literature supporting the validity of the PAQ, and the multidimensional nature of the alexithymia construct, across different nations and languages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paweł Larionow
- Faculty of Psychology, Kazimierz Wielki University, Bydgoszcz, Poland
| | - David A Preece
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.,School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.,Brain and Behaviour Division, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA, Australia
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