Verbal Measures of Alexithymia: What Do They Measure

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that measurement of verbal affective expression is influenced by the method used for obtaining speech samples, thereby supporting a situation-dependent, or state concept of alexithymia. In this study monadic speech samples obtained from 20 psychoneurotic and 20 psychosomatic patients, using selected thematic apperception test (TAT) cards, were examined using different methods of content analysis. Although no differences were found with the Gottschalk-Gleser anxiety, hostility outward and hope scales, the psychosomatic patients had a more limited emotional vocabulary than the psychoneurotic patients as measured by an ‘affect vocabulary score’ (AVS). In contrast to the Gottschalk-Gleser scores (GGS), the AVS correlated with measures of fantasizing ability and would appear to be a more valid method of measuring alexithymia. The findings also supported a trait concept rather than a state concept of alexithymia.

State of the Art of Alexithymia Measurement

“…Findings of the study regarding the role of socioeconomic status as measured by educa tion agree with others in favor of no relation ship between the alexithymie traits and level of education [10][11][12].…”

“…In the cases where inter-rater reliability was inacceptably low (r = 0.30) [10], it was reported that the assessment interview proce dure was questionable. In this case, the inter viewers held separate interviews of the sub ject, then rated the subject by their own inter view, allowing much room for inconsistency in the content of the interview and interview er's style.…”

“…The Beth Israel Hospital Questionnaire (BIQ) is a scale developed by Sifneos on which 17 questions are rated by the clinician after an interview designed to evaluate the alexithymic characteristics. A score of 6 out of 8 key questions denotes alexithymia [7], Data gathered so far indicate that satisfactory results have been achieved with the BIQ in establishing the existence of alexithymic characteristics in the psychoso matic and general population [7][8][9][10].…”

Facilitating Adjustment to Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Model of Psychosocial Intervention in Non-Psychiatric Patients

“…Consequently, alexithymia is understood as a deficit in emotional and cognitive regulatory processes that are required for symbolic function, fantasy and empathy. Early studies, prior to the development of a psychometrically sound instrument, suggested a high prevalence of alexithymia in UC compared to irritable bowel syndrome [50]and psychoneurotic controls [51]and decreased verbal content on emotional tasks in UC and CD patients [52, 53]. A recent case-control study of 112 IBD patients using the validated Toronto Alexithymia Scale found a rate of alexithymia of 35.7%, significantly greater than the rate in healthy controls of 4.5% [54], and these alexithymia scores appear to be stable over time [55].…”

Alexithymia in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

“…Indeed, in a study comparing alexithymia in IBD patients and psychoneurotic patients, Taylor et al [ 16] found unacceptable interrater agreement on the BIQ and no significant difference in the mean BIQ scores of the two patient groups. Nonetheless, using projective test measures, Taylor et al [16][17][18] did find that IBD pa tients were less able to verbalize emotions than psychoneurotic patients, and also less able to modulate emotions, thus providing partial support for an association between alexithymia and IBD.…”