Factorial structure of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale: confirmatory factorial analyses in nonclinical and clinical samples

OBJECTIVE: The 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) measures three intercorrelated dimensions of alexithymia: (1) difficulties identifying feelings (DIF), (2) difficulties describing feelings (DDF), and (3) externally oriented thinking (EOT). The aim of the study was to test the three-factor model of the TAS-20 using confirmatory factorial analyses (CFA). METHOD: 769 healthy subjects and 659 patients meeting the DSM-IV criteria for substance use disorders or eating disorders completed the TAS-20. The correlation matrices for each of the samples were analyzed with LISREL 7.16. RESULTS: In each sample, the three-factor model was found to be replicable. CONCLUSION: The three TAS-20 subcales can be used to explore the distinct facets of the alexithymia construct

La fréquence des troubles anxio-dépressifs diffère-t-elle entre les types diagnostiques d'anorexie mentale et de boulimie ?

Our objective was to answer the following question : are there differences between diagnostic groups of eating disorders (ED) for the prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders, when clinical differences between the groups are taken into account (ie age of subjects, ED duration, inpatient or outpatient status, and Body Mass Index) ? Method We evaluated the frequency of anxiety disorders and depressive disorders in 271 subjects presenting with a diagnosis of either anorexia nervosa or bulimia, using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), DSM IV version. We compared the prevalences between sub-groups of anorexics (AN-R and AN-BN), between sub-groups of bulimics (BN-P and BN-NP) and between anorexics and bulimics while adjusting for the variables defined below. Results - Current or lifetime comorbidity of anxiety and depressive disorders did not differ between AN-Rs and AN-BNs, nor between BN-Ps and BN-NPs. Only current diagnoses of agoraphobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder were significantly more frequent in anorexics than in bulimics. Conclusion - The greater frequency of comorbidity between obsessive-compulsive disorder and AN compared to BN, already well documented, is not questioned The remaining anxiety disorders are equally frequent among all the diagnostic types of E

Les troubles anxieux sont-ils plus fréquents chez les sujets souffrant de troubles du comportement alimentaire ?

Objectif. - Nous avons recherché la fréquence des troubles anxieux chez des sujets souffrant d'anorexie (AN) ou de boulimie (BN), afin de répondre aux questions suivantes : quelle est la fréquence des troubles anxieux (TA) chez les AN et les BN, selon les critères du DSM-IV ? Sont-ils plus fréquents chez les femmes souffrant de troubles du comportement alimentaire (TCA) que parmi les femmes sans TCA ? Méthode. - Nous avons évalué la fréquence des troubles anxieux parmi un échantillon de 271 malades présentant un diagnostic actuel d'AN ou de BN, et 271 sujets témoins, en utilisant le MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), version DSM-IV. Résultats. - Soixante et onze pour cent des AN et des BN ont présenté sur la vie une co-morbidité avec au moins un trouble anxieux, ce qui est significativement plus (p < 0,01) que les témoins. Les deux troubles anxieux les plus fréquents sont, chez les AN et les BN, l'anxiété généralisée et la phobie sociale. Conclusion. - Les TA apparaissent significativement plus fréquents parmi les sujets souffrant de troubles du comportement alimentaire. Ceci doit être pris en compte dans le traitement de ces patients, et dans la réflexion sur l'étiopathogénie de ces troubles. Objective. - We designed a controlled study comparing referred women with an eating disorder (ED) to a matched normal control group to answer the following questions: what are the frequencies of anxiety disorders (AD) in anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN), according to DSM-IV criteria? Are AD significantly more frequent among women with an ED than among women from the community? Method. - We assessed frequencies of six specific AD among 271 women with a current diagnosis of AN or BN and 271 controls, using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), French DSM-IV version. Results. - Seventy-one percent of both the AN and the BN subjects had a lifetime comorbidity with at least one AD, significantly more (p < 0.001) than the percentage of controls with an AD. Prevalence was significantly higher in the ED groups than in controls for most types of AD, and between 41.8% and 53.3% of comorbid cases had an AD preceding the onset of the ED. Conclusion. - Evidence that AD are significantly more frequent in subjects with ED than in the community has important etiological and therapeutic implications