title: Are alexithymia, ambivalence over emotional expression, and social insecurity overlapping constructs?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship and differential validity of three constructs related to reduced emotional expression.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred six patients of a psychosomatic clinic completed questionnaires assessing alexithymia (TAS-20, BVAQ), ambivalence over emotional expression (AEQ-G18), and social insecurity (UQ).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A second-order principal component analysis with the scales of all questionnaires yielded three factors and revealed that the scale Competence Ambivalence assessed by the AEQ-G18 loaded on the same factor as the TAS-20 and BVAQ scales measuring Difficulties Describing and Identifying Feelings. A high correlation between the factor Social Insecurity (composed of all UQ scales) and the factor Difficulty Identifying and Describing Feelings (composed of BVAQ, TAS-20, and AEQ-G18 scales) was found. In contrast to this, the factor Emotionalizing and External Thinking showed only low correlations with the remaining factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the present study did not support the view that the alexithymia facets related to difficulties identifying and describing feelings and Competence Ambivalence are distinct constructs, when measured by self-report. This might be explained by methodological problems with the assessment of alexithymia and ambivalence. Furthermore, the results indicate that social insecurity is strongly related with the "difficulty identifying and describing feelings" facets of alexithymia and with effect ambivalence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany. j.mueller@psychologie.uni-wuerzburg.de
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bühner
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ziegler
authors.forename: Lâle
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sahin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D019260:Expressed Emotion; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012649:Self Concept; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires