Further Support for the Psychometric Properties of the Farsi Version of Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire

Abstract

Alexithymia is defined as the lack of words to describe emotions and is associated with different psychopathologies. Various tools have been developed for measuring alexithymia; each has its limitations. A new questionnaire, Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ), was developed to simultaneously assess positive and negative dimensions. Validation of such a tool in different cultures allows cross-cultural health psychology studies and facilitates knowledge transfer in the field. We aimed to examine the psychometric features of the PAQ in the Farsi-speaking population in Iran. Four-hundred-twenty-nine university students were asked to complete the PAQ, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and emotion regulation questionnaire (ERQ). Concurrent validity, discriminant validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability and factor structure were investigated. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a five-factor model identical to the original questionnaire. The questionnaire indicated good internal consistency (0.82 < α < 0.94). Test-retest reliability was acceptable for all subscales. The correlations between PAQ and its subscales with BDI-II, BAI, and TAS, and expression suppression subscale of ERQ were strong for concurrent validity. Concerning the discriminant validity, PAQ and its subscales were not correlated with reappraisal subscales of ERQ. The present findings suggest that the Farsi version of PAQ has strong psychometric properties and is appropriate for use in the Farsi-speaking population.

Assessing alexithymia across negative and positive emotions: Psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire

“…Within each valence domain, N-DIF and N-DDF, as well as P-DIF and P-DDF, were highly correlated with each other, however there was statistical value in separating them. The obtained results are thus in line with the conclusions presented in other validation studies ( 15 – 17 ) regarding the predominance of the intended 5-factor model over other factor solutions. The internal consistency reliability of all five subscales and the total score was high, and test-retest reliability was similarly supported.…”

“…Originally developed in English, several language translations of the PAQ have now been published, including Turkish ( 15 ), Iranian ( 16 , 17 ), and Spanish ( 18 ) versions. Factor analyses across language versions have consistently supported a 5-factor structure, conforming to the intended five factors ( 13 , 19 , 20 ).…”

Chinese version of the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire: psychometric properties and clinical applications

“… 14 15 Moreover, our results yielded good test-retest reliability, with comparable findings with those reported by Lashkari et al . 15 Thus, our findings highlight the good cross-cultural applicability of the PAQ to an Asian context.…”

“…Cross-cultural validity is a critical consideration in the development of a questionnaire, especially for use across different cultures. So far, the PAQ has demonstrated robust performance in this regard, with the five-factor model and good psychometric indices reported across English, 12 Farsi 15 and Polish 14 versions. Although the psychometric properties of the PAQ have been examined in an Asian culture (Singapore), the questionnaire applied to the sample was the English version.…”

Prevalence and associated factors of alexithymia in intensive care unit nurses

“…It is mainly manifested that individuals have difficulty in correctly expressing their emotional feelings, lack of ability to identify others and describe their own emotions, and lack of fantasy. namely, emotional identification difficulty, emotional expression difficulty and extroverted thinking (Lashkari et al, 2021 ). Scholars generally believe that alexithymia is a personality trait and a psychological characteristic associated with some physical or psychological diseases (Declercq et al, 2010 ).…”