Depth of experiencing and use of emotion words in trauma narratives as performance indices of alexithymia.

The present study examined depth of experiencing and use of emotion words in trauma narratives as performance indices of alexithymia. The construct of alexithymia represents deficits in emotional awareness and regulation. The study employed archival data (written trauma narratives and self-report measures) collected from 60 female, undergraduate psychology students. Alexithymia was assessed using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS; Bagby, Parker, & Taylor, 1994a, 1994b). Depth of experiencing was rated using the Client Experiencing Scale (EXP; Klien, Mathieu-Coughlan, & Kiesler, 1986). The Emotions Library (Mind Reading Emotions Library, 2004), a computer software program, was used to define emotion word for the emotion word count. Results of correlational analyses revealed that depth of experiencing was associated with alexithymia, while emotion word count and general vocabulary were not. Results of a hierarchical multiple regression revealed that depth of experiencing significantly predicted alexithymia, while emotion word count, trauma severity and length of narrative did not. Together, the results suggest that depth of experiencing can be used as a performance index of alexithymia.Dept. of Psychology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2006 .L4. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-01, page: 0480. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2006