VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF THE TORONTO ALEXITHYMIA SCALE (TAS) IN A POPULATION STUDY

Alexithymia refers to the difficulties an individual has to experience and express his feelings. Various self-report questionnaires have been introduced to measure alexithymia, but only a few rigorous validity studies of this concept have been carried out in nonclinical populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) in a population sample of 1560 middle-aged men from eastern Finland. The modified version of the TAS applied in this study had a factor structure that matched the previous results and the theoretical concept of alexithymia. Internal consistency of the total TAS scale, as well as the 8 month retest reliability, were adequate. The TAS correlated fairly well with an interview-based evaluation of alexithymic features. The results suggest that the TAS could be a useful screening instrument for alexithymic features in a population study, but the scale would probably need some revisions.