Reliability and Validity of the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale in Korean Adolescents期刊界 All Journals 搜尽天下杂志传播学术成果专业期刊搜索期刊信息化学术搜索

Reliability and Validity of the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale in Korean Adolescents

Authors:	Sang Soo Seo Un-Sun Chung Hyo Deog Rim Sung Hoon Jeong

Affiliation:	¹Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea.;²Department of Psychiatry, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, Korea.

Abstract:	Objective Adolescence is a period of developing emotional regulation. However, alexithymia has rarely been examined during this period. The objective of this study is to examine the factor structure and internal consistency of the Korean version of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20K) in normal adolescents in South Korea. Methods The TAS-20K was administered to a sample of 290 adolescents aged from 12 to 16 years old. Internal reliability, test-retest reliability, and factorial validity were evaluated. Results The three factors of the TAS-20K were confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. The internal consistency, measured using Cronbach''s alpha coefficient was acceptable for difficulty in identifying feelings, good for difficulty in describing feelings, and acceptable for externally oriented thinking. Conclusion Our study indicates that the TAS-20K is an appropriate instrument to assess alexithymia in Korean adolescents.

Keywords:	Toronto alexithymia scale Alexithymia Adolescents