title: Toronto Alexithymia Scale: relationship with personality and psychopathology measures.
abstract: The Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) is a 26-item self-report measure of alexithymia with good internal consistency and test-retest reliability, and a factor structure congruent with the alexithymia construct. This study assesses the construct validity of the scale by examining its relationship with several personality and psychopathology measures. In a sample of 81 college students, the TAS correlated strongly and positively with a measure of hypochondriasis but negatively with measures of psychological mindedness and 'need for cognition'. There were low-magnitude correlations between the TAS and measures of self-depreciation, social introversion, persecutory ideation, and impulse expression, but no correlation with a measure of denial. These results indicate that the TAS is assessing adequately the theoretical domain relevant to its item and factor structure.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D003071:Cognition; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D010556:Personality Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales