An evaluation of alexithymia subtypes using latent profile analysis

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Alexithymia is a personality construct characterized by difficulties in identifying and describing emotions.
• Four subtypes of alexithymia have been proposed based on the Cognitive and Affective dimensions of the Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire (BVAQ).
• Previous research has yielded inconsistent findings regarding the statistical validity of these proposed subtypes, often due to methodological limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To statistically examine the existence of the four proposed alexithymia subtypes in a large undergraduate sample.
• To investigate the latent structure of alexithymia using the BVAQ and latent profile analysis (LPA).

Main Methods:

• Latent profile analysis (LPA) was employed to analyze responses from a large sample (N=612) of undergraduate students who completed the BVAQ.
• The analysis focused on response patterns across the five BVAQ subscales.

Main Results:

• The study did not find statistical support for the four previously proposed alexithymia subtypes.
• LPA suggested alternative solutions indicating varying degrees of alexithymia severity rather than distinct subtypes.
• Findings align with previous studies but address limitations of smaller sample sizes and fewer subtype considerations.

Conclusions:

• The proposed four-subtype model of alexithymia lacks empirical support in this large undergraduate sample.
• Results suggest alexithymia may be better conceptualized as a continuous spectrum of severity.
• Further research, particularly with clinical populations, is needed to confirm these findings and reconsider the utility of alexithymia subtypes in research.