ABSTRACT
Speechlessness forms a psychological concept that describes non-speaking or silence in different situations. Speechlessness occurs in particular during emotional stress. The Cologne Questionnaire on Speechlessness (ger.: Kölner Fragebogen zur Sprachlosigkeit) is an instrument for measuring speechlessness as a function of emotional perception and processing in situations of emotional stress or existing emotional dysregulation. The questionnaire was developed in theoretical proximity to the constructs of alexithymia and expressive suppression. Item selection was performed on a first line sample of N = 307 individuals of a normal population. Acquisition of an exploratory model to classify the phenomenon was conducted within four samples in clinical and non-clinical settings. Validation of the factorial structure was performed using an overarching dataset (N = 1293) consisting of all samples. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated the best model fit (χ2 (df, 146) = 953.856; p < .001; Tucker-Lewis-Index = .891; Comparative Fit Index = .916; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = .065; p < .001; N = 1293) with a four-factorial structure of the questionnaire. Both the overall acceptable validity and reliability recommend the application of KFS on individuals of the normal population as well as clinical subgroups. In addition, the questionnaire can also be used in the context of research on the regulation of emotions. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-022-04102-x.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: International studies could already prove a correlation between alexithymia and expressive suppression. This relationship has only been marginally considered in the German literature so far. The prioritized aim of the present study was to investigate a correlative and factorial relationship between alexithymia and expressive suppression. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 317 persons participated in an online survey. Data on alexithymia and expressive suppression were collected using the German versions of the Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-26) and the emotion regulation questionnaire (ERQ). RESULTS: The results showed highly significant correlations between the TAS-26 subscale "difficulty in identifying feelings" and the ERQ scale "suppression" (râ¯= 0.5; pâ¯< 0.001) and between the TAS-26 subscale "difficulty in describing feelings" and the ERQ scale "suppression" (râ¯= 0.64; pâ¯< 0.001). The results of an exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factor solution with common factor for the TAS-26 subscales "difficulty in identifying feelings" and "difficulty in describing feelings" and the ERQ scale "suppression" with a common variance of 38.2% (χ2â¯= 363.843, pâ¯< 0.001, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin, KMO, valueâ¯= 0.699). CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the TAS-26 scales in the components "difficulty in identifying feelings" and "difficulty in describing feelings" and the ERQ scale "suppression" in the component of "expressive suppression" have a common construct, which is referred to with the term speechlessness.
ABSTRACT
Recent research suggests that exposure-based large-group one-session treatments (LG-OSTs) may represent useful and efficient treatment options for different types of phobic fear. Although there are effective single session- and small group-interventions for the treatment of clinically relevant Fear of Flying (FoF), no LG-OST for this type of phobic fear has been realized so far. The present study aimed to investigate feasibility and efficacy of an LG-OST for the treatment of clinically relevant FoF. Two months after an initial diagnostics to assess FoF severity and confirm the underlying diagnoses (89% specific flight phobia; 10% agoraphobia), 138 patients attended the LG-OST consisting of psychoeducation, imparting of a breathing technique and a joint 2 ½ hour exposure flight in a chartered airplane (Airbus A320). FoF again was assessed at pre- and post-treatment as well as at 6-months follow-up with the latter again containing clinical diagnostics. Only a small decrease in FoF emerged in the pre-treatment interval. From pre-to post-treatment however, substantial reductions in FoF were observed with a large mean 'intention-to-treat' effect size of Cohen's d = 1.42 that remained stable over time (mean d = 1.44). At follow-up, 71% of the patients were rated as fully (55%) or partially remitted (16%). Also concerning the treatment of clinically relevant FoF, a LG-OST proved feasible and effective. Therefore, LG-OST can be regarded as a highly efficient and promising treatment tool which in terms of efficiency combines the advantages of one-session individual and group treatments.
