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Investigation of the factorial structure and psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 in patients with psychiatric disorders

Current Psychology volume 40, pages 3783–3793 (2021)Cite this article

Abstract

The aims of this study were to assess the factor structure, validity, and reliability of the Persian translation of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20) and to examine different models of the TAS-20 in Iranian patients with various psychiatric disorders. Participants were 839 patients with psychiatric disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (n = 80), schizophrenia (n = 82), bipolar disorder (BD) (n = 100), alcohol dependence (n = 81), major depressive disorder (MDD) (n = 95), psychosomatic disorders (n = 92), anxiety disorders (n = 85), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (n = 90), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (n = 55), and suicide attempts (n = 79). Results indicated that the three-factor TAS-16 fit the data well, after removing four items from the externally-oriented thinking (EOT) subscale. In addition, the total score and subscales had strong internal consistency and concurrent validity. An alternative three-factor model and a four-factor model, which both allow the reverse-coded EOT items to load on a separate factor, also had an acceptable fit. The results suggest that after deleting four items from the EOT subscale, the 16-item TAS is a reliable scale among Iranian psychiatric patients. Moreover, the alternative three-factor and four-factor structures may be appropriate to apply among Iranian patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Research Development Center of Loghman Hakim Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Vahid Khosravani

  2. Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran

    Mahmoud Najafi

  3. Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Kristin Naragon-Gainey

  4. Department of Psychology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

    Ali Mohammadzadeh

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  1. Vahid Khosravani
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  2. Mahmoud Najafi
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  3. Kristin Naragon-Gainey
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  4. Ali Mohammadzadeh
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Correspondence to Vahid Khosravani.

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Khosravani, V., Najafi, M., Naragon-Gainey, K. et al. Investigation of the factorial structure and psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 in patients with psychiatric disorders. Curr Psychol 40, 3783–3793 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00329-3

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Keywords

  • Psychometric properties
  • Toronto alexithymia scale
  • Factor structure
  • Validity
  • Reliability
  • Psychiatric disorders