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Conscious and Non-conscious Representations of Emotional Faces in Asperger's Syndrome

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Alexithymia in the German general population.

Matthias Franz¹, Kerstin Popp, Ralf Schaefer

¹Clinical Institute for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy (15.16), Heinrich-Heine-University, Moorenstrasse 5, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany. matthias.franz@uni-duesseldorf.de

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology

|October 16, 2007

Summary

This study provides population-based standardization and cut-off values for the German Toronto-Alexithymia-Scale (TAS-20). Findings suggest the 66th percentile is a more suitable cut-off for identifying high alexithymia in the German population.

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Area of Science:

Psychological assessment
Psychometrics
Personality research

Background:

The Toronto-Alexithymia-Scale (TAS-20) is a globally recognized measure of alexithymia.
Standardization and population-based cut-off values for the German TAS-20 were previously unavailable.
Alexithymia, characterized by difficulties identifying and describing emotions, impacts various psychological and physiological processes.

Purpose of the Study:

To establish population-based standardization and cut-off values for the German TAS-20.
To investigate the factorial structure of the German TAS-20 in a representative sample.
To assess the suitability of the TAS-20 for measuring alexithymia in the German population.

Main Methods:

A representative random sample of 1,859 German adults (aged 20-69) participated.
The Toronto-Alexithymia-Scale (TAS-20) was administered.
Factor analysis was employed to examine the scale's structure.

Main Results:

The TAS-20 sum score was normally distributed, with mean scores of 49.5 (men) and 48.2 (women).
Higher scores were associated with divorce, single status, and lower social status.
Ten percent exceeded a cut-off of 61; the 66th percentile was 53 (men) and 52 (women).
Factor analysis confirmed three factors matching the original version, plus a fourth factor: "importance of emotional introspection".

Conclusions:

The German TAS-20 sum score is suitable for standardized alexithymia measurement.
The proposed cut-off of 61 may be too restrictive; the 66th percentile is recommended for identifying high alexithymia.
The fourth factor enhances the scale's content differentiation and variance explanation.