Dimensions of Alexithymia and Their Relationships to Anxiety and Depression

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 Inventor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of personality assessment 1991-04, Vol.56 (2), p.227-237
Main Authors: Hendryx, Michael S., Haviland, Mark G., Shaw, Dale G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Affective Symptoms - diagnosis
Affective Symptoms - psychology
Anxiety - diagnosis
Anxiety - psychology
Biological and medical sciences
Depression - diagnosis
Depression - psychology
Female
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Personality Inventory - statistics & numerical data
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychometrics
Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Reference Values
Students, Medical - psychology
Techniques and methods
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0022-3891
1532-7752
DOI:10.1207/s15327752jpa5602_4