The TAÖ, developed by Taylor and colleagues (1985), was designed to measure alexithymic traits in accordance with theoretical knowledge, to prevent social desirability bias in responses, and to ensure high internal consistency. The scale consists of 26 items, each rated on a five-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (definitely not true) to 5 (definitely true). Higher scores indicate a greater tendency toward alexithymia.
In a study by Taylor et al. (1985), it was found that the TAÖ consists of four subscales.
The first subscale (TAÖ-1) relates to an individual’s ability to distinguish and recognize his own emotions and bodily sensations,
The second subscale (TAÖ-2) relates to focusing more on external events than on his own internal experiences,
The third subscale (TAÖ-3) relates to the ability to verbally express emotions,
and the fourth subdimension (TAÖ-4) relates to the ability to imagine.
These four dimensions account for 31.8% of the total variance. The first factor accounts for 12.3% of the total variance (Cronbach’s α = .83), the second factor explains 7.0% (Cronbach’s α = .72), the third factor explains 6.4% (Cronbach’s α = .64), and the fourth factor explains 6.1% (Cronbach’s α = .69). In their study developing the TAÖ, Taylor and colleagues (1985) reported the scale’s overall internal consistency as .79 and its split-half reliability as .67. Additionally, the scale’s test-retest reliability coefficient was found to be .82 for a 1-week interval and .75 for a 5-week interval.
The translation of the scale into Turkish, along with its reliability and validity studies, was conducted by Dereboy (1990, 1991). The internal consistency coefficient of the Turkish TAÖ is reported as .65, and its test-retest reliability as .70 (Okyayuz 1993).
The Alexithymia Test is a measure that helps you evaluate your experiences in terms of alexithymia and assess your level of alexithymia. The scale is administered by rating the relevant items. The score you obtain by rating the test items determines your level of alexithymia according to this scale.
The TAÖ was initially developed with a 26-item structure comprising four subdimensions. In the first revision of the scale, the number of items was reduced to 23, and the number of subdimensions was reduced to two. In the second revision, the third version of the scale was structured as a 20-item, three-factor model. There are also scales developed specifically to measure alexithymia in children and adolescents. The Alexithymia Observation Scale for Children, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale(s) for Children (adapted from the TAÖ in two separate studies), the Emotional Awareness Test, and the revised, restructured version of this test are all assessments designed for this group.
In a study conducted in our country, a literature review and discussion were carried out regarding the structure of alexithymia, the manifestation of its primary and secondary characteristics, and its continuous versus categorical nature; and in order to allow for the assessment of the presence of an alexithymic structure, an effort was made to determine the cutoff score for the Turkish adaptation of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), developed by Bagby and colleagues. Method: This study was conducted with 100 consecutive outpatients who presented to the Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic at the Erenköy Mental and Nervous Diseases Training and Research Hospital. Participants were administered the 20- and 26-item TAÖ scales along with a sociodemographic data collection form. Results: Eighty-four of the participants were male, and their mean age was 26.41 ± 1.15. Based on the “10” and “11” scores identified on the TAÖ-26, it was deemed appropriate to set “51” as the lower cutoff and “59” as the upper cutoff for the TAÖ-20. Conclusion: If the aim is to avoid excluding alexithymics, a score of “51” should be used as the lower cutoff; if the goal is to work with a pure alexithymic group (based on a score of “11” as determined by the TAÖ-26), a score of “59” should be used as the upper cutoff.
References:
* Dereboy İF (1990) A Study on the Psychometric Properties of Self-Report Alexithymia Scales (Unpublished Master’s Thesis), Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine.
* Dereboy İF (1991) Alexithymia: A Review. Turkish Journal of Psychiatry, 1:(3)157-165.
* Okyayuz ÜH (1993) An Investigation of the Feasibility of Using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Courtauld Emotion Control Scale in a Turkish Sample. Turkish Journal of Psychiatry, 4:18–23.