AUTHOR=de Vroege Lars , Emons Wilco H. M. , Sijtsma Klaas , van der Feltz-Cornelis Christina M. 

TITLE=Psychometric Properties of the Bermond–Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire (BVAQ) in the General Population and a Clinical Population

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00111

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00111

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=<sec id="ST1"><title>Introduction</title><p>The Bermond–Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire (BVAQ) has been validated in student samples and small clinical samples, but not in the general population; thus, representative general-population norms are lacking.</p></sec><sec id="ST2"><title>Aim</title><p>We examined the factor structure of the BVAQ in Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences panel data from the Dutch general population (<italic>N</italic> = 974).</p></sec><sec id="ST3"><title>Results</title><p>Factor analyses revealed a first-order five-factor model and a second-order two-factor model. However, in the second-order model, the factor interpreted as analyzing ability loaded on both the affective factor and the cognitive factor. Further analyses showed that the first-order test scores are more reliable than the second-order test scores. External and construct validity were addressed by comparing BVAQ scores with a clinical sample of patients suffering from somatic symptom and related disorder (SSRD) (<italic>N</italic> = 235). BVAQ scores differed significantly between the general population and patients suffering from SSRD, suggesting acceptable construct validity. Age was positively associated with alexithymia. Males showed higher levels of alexithymia.</p></sec><sec id="ST4"><title>Discussion</title><p>The BVAQ is a reliable alternative measure for measuring alexithymia.</p></sec>