Does the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire Offer a Multidimensional Measurement of the Alexithymia Construct?

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Alexithymia, characterized by difficulty identifying and describing emotions, is often assessed using multidimensional models.
• The Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ) was designed based on the attention-appraisal model to capture these multiple dimensions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the hierarchical structure of the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ).
• To determine if the PAQ reliably assesses alexithymia as a multidimensional construct.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Goldberg's bass-ackwards method to analyze the PAQ's hierarchical structure.
• Examined data from both student and community samples.

Main Results:

• A general alexithymia factor was consistently identified at the highest hierarchical level.
• Limited evidence supported stable or distinct dimensions at lower levels.
• The proposed five-factor dimensional model was not supported by the data.

Conclusions:

• The PAQ does not reliably provide a multidimensional assessment of alexithymia.
• The PAQ is best interpreted as measuring a single, unidimensional construct of alexithymia.