Watters Carolyn A, Taylor Graeme J, Quilty Lena C, Bagby R Michael
a Department of Psychology , University of Toronto , Ontario , Canada.
b Department of Psychiatry , University of Toronto , Ontario , Canada.
J Pers Assess. 2016 Nov-Dec;98(6):649-59. doi: 10.1080/00223891.2016.1172077. Epub 2016 May 23.
There is some ongoing controversy surrounding the definition and measurement of the alexithymia construct. Whereas most researchers describe 4 components comprising the construct (difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, restricted fantasizing, and externally oriented thinking), some include a 5th component, which is defined as "reduced experiencing of emotional feelings." This study examined the topology and measurement of alexithymia using the method of network analysis with data from a heterogeneous multilanguage sample (N = 1,696) that had completed the Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire (BVAQ; Vorst & Bermond, 2001 ). The BVAQ includes an Emotionalizing subscale for assessing the purported 5th component; we compared the network analyses conducted both with and without the Emotionalizing items. The results revealed strong associations between Emotionalizing and Analyzing (externally oriented thinking) items, but Emotionalizing items had almost as many negative as positive connections with items assessing the other components of the construct. A comparison of communities identified by modularity analyses of the 2 networks failed to support emotionalizing as a distinct component of the construct. In addition, network metrics revealed that Fantasizing items were particularly weak within both networks, suggesting that reduced fantasizing might be a peripheral component of the alexithymia construct. Implications for the measurement and treatment of alexithymia are discussed.
关于述情障碍这一概念的定义和测量，目前仍存在一些争议。大多数研究者描述该概念包含4个组成部分（识别情感困难、描述情感困难、幻想受限和外向性思维），但也有一些研究者纳入了第5个组成部分，定义为“情感感受体验减少”。本研究采用网络分析方法，利用来自一个异质多语言样本（N = 1696）的数据，该样本完成了伯蒙德 - 沃斯特述情障碍问卷（BVAQ；沃斯特和伯蒙德，2001），对述情障碍的拓扑结构和测量进行了研究。BVAQ包括一个用于评估所谓第5个组成部分的情感化分量表；我们比较了包含和不包含情感化项目的网络分析结果。结果显示，情感化项目与分析（外向性思维）项目之间存在很强的关联，但情感化项目与评估该概念其他组成部分的项目之间的负向连接几乎与正向连接一样多。对这两个网络进行模块分析所确定的群落进行比较，结果并不支持情感化作为该概念的一个独特组成部分。此外，网络指标显示，在两个网络中幻想项目都特别薄弱，这表明幻想受限可能是述情障碍概念的一个边缘组成部分。本文还讨论了对述情障碍测量和治疗的启示。
