Psychometric Properties of Farsi Version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (FTAS-20)

Abstract

This study investigated the psychometric properties of Farsi version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 for 709 undergraduate students (416 females and 293 males) at the University of Tehran. All participants were asked to complete the Farsi version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (FTAS-20), the Emotional Intelligence Scale,and the Mental Health Inventory. Findings supported the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, concurrent validity, and three-factor structure of the Farsi version of the TAS-20. The factors found in the Farsi version of the TAS-20 are similar to the three factors found by Bagby, Parker and Taylor (1994) and were accordingly labeled as “Difficulty Identifying Feelings” (DIF), “Difficulty Describing Feelings” (DDF) and “Externally-Oriented Thinking” (EOT). Results of this study provide evidence supporting the cross-cultural validity of the TAS-20 and its applicability in Iran.