Date of Award

2002

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

This study explores the psychometric qualities of the twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) with a sample of 262 men who have battered their female partners and have attended a court recommended domestic violence program. Specifically, this study explores the three-factor structure, proposed by the authors of the TAS-20 (Bagby et al., 1993; Bagby, et al., 1994a), with a sample of domestic violence offenders. The study seeks to determine if the subscales of the TAS-20 demonstrate internal consistency and if the variables of age,Education, and income correlate with alexithymia scores. The study also explores the relationship between alcohol and drug use and alexithymia scores. The results suggest that the three-factor structure does not adequately apply to this population, that two of the three proposed subscales meet satisfactory consistency, thatEducation and alexithymia are inversely related, and that offender scores of alexithymia do not correspond to higher drug and alcohol use. Together these data indicate that the TAS-20 may not be the most appropriate tool for assessing alexithymia among domestic violence offenders.

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