Reliability and Factorial Validity of the Turkish Version of the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20)

1 OZET: Yirmi soruluk Toronto aleksimi olceinin Turk- ce uyarlamas›n›n gecerlik ve guvenirliinin in- celenmesi Amac: Bagby ve arkadafllar› taraf›ndan gelifltirilmifl olan 20 soruluk Toronto Aleksimi Olcei (TAO)'nin Turkce uyarla- mas›n›n; faktoriyel yap›s›, gecerlik ve guvenirliinin ince- lenmesi bu cal›flman›n amac›n› oluflturmaktad›r. Yontem: Bu cal›flma Karadeniz Teknik Universitesi ve Sa¤- l›k Eitim Enstitusu'nde eitim goren lisans ve lisans ustu o¤rencileri ile yurutuldu. Faktor yap›s›n› incelemek amac›y- la dorulay›c› faktor analizi (confirmatory factor analysis) uyguland›. ‹c tutarl›¤›n› incelemek icin olcein ve alt-olcek- lerin Cronbach's alfa katsay›lar›na ve her bir maddenin ic tutarl›¤a etkisini gormek icin duzeltilmifl madde-toplam korelasyonlar›na bak›ld›. Bulgular: Sonuclar TAO-20 Turkce uyarlamas›n›n, 3 faktor oruntusunu salad›¤›n› gosterdi. Olcein ve alt-olceklerin ic tutarl›k incelenmesinde toplam olcek icin alfa=0.78, 1. faktor icin alfa=0.80, 2. faktor icin alfa=0.57 ve 3. faktor icin alfa=0.63 olarak saptand›. Faktorler aras› korelasyonlar›na bak›ld›¤›nda; 1. ile 2. faktor aras›nda 0.53, 1. ile 3. faktor ara- s›nda 0.12 ve 2. ile 3. faktor aras›nda 0.36 olduu goruldu. Duzeltilmifl madde-toplam korelasyonunun 0.22-0.48 ara- s›nda olduu ve istatistiki olarak anlaml› olup, 18. ve 20. madde d›fl›nda yeterli korelasyon gosterdii saptand›. Sonuc: Cal›flman›n bulgular› TAO-20 Turkce cevirisinin, or- jinal cal›flmada olduu gibi 3 Faktor yap›s›n› desteklediini gostermektedir. Uyarlaman›n ic tutarl›¤› da yeterli olarak gorulmektedir. TAS-20 Turkce uyarlamas›n›n Turk ornekle- mi icin gecerli ve guvenilir olduu bulunmufltur. Anahtar sozcukler: Aleksitimi, yirmi-soruluk Toronto alek- sitimi olcei, dorulay›c› faktor analizi, gecerlik, guvenirlik Klinik Psikofarmakoloji Bulteni 2009;19:214-220 ABSTRACT: and factorial validity of the Turkish version of the 20-item Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-20) Aims: The aim of this study was to examine the factor structure and the validity of the Turkish version of the 20- item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) developed by Bagby et al. in a student sample. Methods: Healthy undergraduates or post-college graduate students (n=390) from Karadeniz Technical University Medical School or the Institute of Health Education, respectively, were assessed using confirmatory factor analysis. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was determined to estimate internal reliability of the TAS-20 and subscales and correlations between each item and total score were also calculated. Results: The Turkish TAS-20 showed a three-factor model. The Cronbach alpha for the total TAS-20 scale was 0.78, and for the three subscales (factors 1-3); 0.80, 0.57, and 0.63, respectively. Three of four criteria of goodness-of-fit met the standards for adequacy-of-fit. The parameter estimates for the items and correlation between the three factors of the TAS-20 were as follows: between factors 1 and 2, 0.53; between factors 1 and 3, 0.12; between factors 2 and 3, 0.36. All items (except 18 and 20) correlate significantly with the total score, the values range from 0.22 to 0.48. Conclusions: The Turkish TAS-20 factor analysis yielded a three-factor structure consistent with the original scale and its translation had adequate internal consistency. Thus, the TAS-20 scale is a valid construct within the Turkish culture.