The German version of the Toronto Structured Interview for Alexithymia: factor structure, reliability, and concurrent validity in a psychiatric patient sample

Grabe, Hans Joergen; Löbel, Susi; Dittrich, Daniel; Bagby, R. Michael; Taylor, Graeme J.; Quilty, Lena C.; Spitzer, Carsten; Barnow, Sven; Mathier, Fabienne; Jenewein, Josef; Freyberger, Harald J.; Rufer, Michael

doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2008.11.008

« Previous Next »Comprehensive Psychiatry
Volume 50, Issue 5 , Pages 424-430, September 2009

The German version of the Toronto Structured Interview for Alexithymia: factor structure, reliability, and concurrent validity in a psychiatric patient sample

Hans Joergen Grabe
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
- Corresponding author. Department of Psychiatry, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University of Greifswald, HANSE-Klinikum Stralsund, 18437 Stralsund, Germany. Tel.: +49 0 3831/45 2106; fax: +49 0 3831/45 2105.
- Both authors contributed equally to this article.
Susi Löbel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
- Both authors contributed equally to this article.
Daniel Dittrich
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
R. Michael Bagby
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1R8 Canada
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1R8 Canada
Graeme J. Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1R8 Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai Hospital, Ontario, M5T 1R8 Canada
Lena C. Quilty
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1R8 Canada
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1R8 Canada
Carsten Spitzer
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Hamburg, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
Sven Barnow
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Heidelberg, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
Fabienne Mathier
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
Josef Jenewein
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
Harald J. Freyberger
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
Michael Rufer
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland

published online 19 January 2009.

Abstract

Background

Recently, the Toronto Structured Interview for Alexithymia (TSIA) was developed to supplement the self-assessment of alexithymia and/or offer a different method of measuring the alexithymia construct. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a German language translation of the TSIA in a psychiatric patient sample.

Methods

Translation and back-translation were performed until a high agreement of cross-language equivalence was obtained between the German and the original English language version of the TSIA. The TSIA and the German language version of the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale were administered to 237 psychiatric patients at the departments of psychiatry and psychotherapy in Germany and Switzerland. Videotapes of some of the interviews were recorded for the assessment of interrater reliability.

Results

The German version of the TSIA and its 4 scales correlated significantly with the German version of the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and its 3 factor scales, providing support for concurrent validity of the interview. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the hierarchical, 4-factor structure obtained with the original English version, with 4 lower-order factors nested within 2 higher-order latent factors. Acceptable levels of internal reliability and interrater reliability were also demonstrated.

Conclusion

The TSIA is a valid and reliable measure for assessing alexithymia, at least in clinical samples. The TSIA, together with a self-report alexithymia scale, allow for a multimethod approach to assessing alexithymia.