title: Cross-cultural alexithymia: validity of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale in North American aboriginal populations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The generalizability of the alexithymia construct to North American aboriginal culture was examined by assessing the replicability of the factor structure of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) in two different adult samples. The study also assessed the reliability of the scale and the influence of gender, age, and education on alexithymia levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  The first sample was a community-based group of 123 aboriginal men and women; the second sample was 102 male aboriginal offenders. Both samples completed the TAS-20.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The replicability of the three-factor structure for the TAS-20 was supported in both groups using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The TAS-20 and its three factors demonstrated adequate internal reliability, and the variables of gender, age, and education accounted for small or nonsignificant amounts of variability in total TAS-20 and factor scale scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results provide additional support for the factorial validity of the TAS-20 in diverse cultural groups.
authors.affiliation: Emotion and Health Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada K9J 7B8. jparker@trentu.ca
authors.forename: James D A
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: Peggy A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Shaughnessy
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Majeski
authors.forename: Jennifer M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Eastabrook
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D002170:Canada; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires