Related Experiment Videos
Alexithymia in somatoform disorder and somatic disease: a comparative study
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
|January 1, 1996
Summary
The 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) is clinically valid for assessing alexithymia in somatoform disorders. Higher TAS-20 scores in somatoform patients correlate with psychopathology, unlike in medically ill patients.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
Background:
- The clinical validity of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) for somatization requires further establishment.
- This study investigates the relationship between alexithymia, psychopathology, and illness severity in somatoform and chronic medical illness patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the relationship between alexithymia and psychopathology in somatoform disorders.
- To compare alexithymia levels and predictors between somatoform and medically ill patients.
Main Methods:
- Forty DSM-III-R somatoform disorder inpatients and 29 chronic medical illness inpatients participated.
- Participants completed the German TAS-20, SCL-90-R, Whiteley Index, and psychosocial impairment ratings.
Main Results:
- Somatoform patients exhibited significantly higher TAS-20 scores than medically ill patients.
- SCL-90-R somatization scale predicted alexithymia in somatoform patients.
- SCL-90-R depression and psychosocial impairment predicted alexithymia in medically ill patients.
Conclusions:
- The findings support the clinical validity of the TAS-20 (German version).
- The study reinforces the validity of the alexithymia construct in clinical populations.