title: An observer scale to measure alexithymia.
abstract: The authors developed a relatively brief observer alexithymia measure that can be used by patients' acquaintances and relatives. Items corresponding to the defining features of alexithymia (California Q-Set Alexithymia Prototype) were written, and the new instrument's psychometric properties were evaluated in 3 lay-rater samples. The 33-item Observer Alexithymia Scale (OAS) is internally consistent (coefficient alphas = 0.88 and 0.89) and stable (2-week test-retest reliability = 0.87). Moreover, it has an interpretable five-factor structure (based on exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses): distant, uninsightful, somatizing, humorless, and rigid. The OAS is a reliable instrument with a stable factor structure and good conceptual coverage and thus, it appears to be a useful tool for collecting observer data on the clinically relevant expressions of alexithymia that receive minimal attention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, CA 92354-3842, USA. haviland@ix.netcom.com
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Haviland
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Riggs
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011779:Q-Sort; D015203:Reproducibility of Results