Improving the measurement of alexithymia in autistic adults: a psychometric investigation of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and generation of a general alexithymia factor score using item response theory.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Alexithymia, a personality trait characterized by difficulties interpreting emotional states, is commonly elevated in autistic adults, and a growing body of literature suggests that this trait underlies several cognitive and emotional differences previously attributed to autism. Although questionnaires such as the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) are frequently used to measure alexithymia in the autistic population, few studies have investigated the psychometric properties of these questionnaires in autistic adults, including whether differential item functioning (I-DIF) exists between autistic and general population adults.

Methods

This study is a revised version of a previous article that was retracted due to copyright concerns (Williams and Gotham in

SUBMITTER: Williams ZJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8353782 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature