Development and Validation Analysis of Redeemer’s University Alexithymia Scale (RUNAS)

Abstract

Background: In Nigeria, alexithymia, “no words for feelings” is understudied and under-assessed despite its significance in physical and psychological health outcomes. This study attempts the development of a standardised alexithymia scale. Methodology: The development of this scale is in two phases: the first phase is the development and refinement of screening tool items and the second phase establishes the scale’s psychometric properties. Results: The observed KMO measure of sampling adequacy is .59 with a significant Bartlett’s test of sphericity (X2 = 1022.608, df = 561, p = .000). The test of the principal components indicated twelve components extracted. Based on Principal Component Analysis, only 12 items in one component were found significant and retained as part of the final scale. The item-total statistics and Cronbach coefficient (α) of .79, a Spearman-Brown coefficient of .80, and Guttman Split-Half coefficient of .79 of the tool indicate that all items have good discrimination and should be retained. The internal consistency of RUN-PDST among the Nigerian sample revealed that the screening tool is reliable. Paired with TAS-20, RUNAS has good concurrent validity. Conclusion: RUNAS has appropriate psychometric properties for assessing alexithymia in Nigeria and similar cultural contexts.