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Construct validity of a self‐report measure of alexithymia in a psychiatric inpatient sample
Author(s) -
Bornstein Robert F.,
O'Neill Richard M.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/1097-4679(199311)49:6<841::aid-jclp2270490611>3.0.co;2-v
Subject(s) - alexithymia , psychology , rorschach test , minnesota multiphasic personality inventory , toronto alexithymia scale , clinical psychology , construct validity , personality test , personality , construct (python library) , incremental validity , psychometrics , test validity , psychiatry , social psychology , computer science , programming language
This study examined the construct validity of a widely used self‐report measure of alexithymia in a mixed‐sex sample of 101 psychiatric inpatients (62 women ad 39 men). Contrary to expectations, scores on Shipko and Noviello's (1984) alexithymia scale (SNALEX) were: (1) correlated positively with a Rorschach index of verbal productivity; (2) unrelated to a Rorschach index of adaptive use of fantasy; (3) correlated negatively with scores on the MMPI L and K scales and correlated positively with scores on the MMPI F scale; and (4) correlated negatively with subject age. In addition, SNALEX scores were correlated negatively with scores on Klieger and Kinsman's (1980) alexithymia scale (KKALEX) in subjects of both sexes. These results do not support the construct validity of the SNALEX as a measure of alexithymia is psychiatric inpatients.