Problems with measuring alexithymia

Research evaluating the relationship of alexithymia to medical and psychiatric disorders has been compromised by the poor psychometric properties of the instruments that have been used to measure alexithymia. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of a recently introduced measure of alexithymia--the revised Schalling-Sifneos Personality Scale (SSPS-R). While the factor structure of the SSPS-R was found to be reasonably congruent with the theoretical domains of the alexithymia construct, the scale lacked homogeneity and internal reliability. These results are compared with the reliability and validity of other available measures of alexithymia. Recommendations are offered for the improved assessment of alexithymia in future research studies.