Data Collection Tools
Socio-demographic data form: The socio-demographic data
form was developed by the investigators to collect participant
information about age, educational level, employment status, social
support, infertility history, and clinical condition. In the infertile
group, patients were asked to score the support they thought they had
received from their spouses and families during the treatment process.
Such questions were not included in the data form in the fertile patient
group.
Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20): TAS-20 is a
Likert-type scale; comprising 20 items to evaluate alexithymia; which is
defined as the inability of the individual to identify his/her feelings
or affect. Each item is scored on a scale from 1 to 5. The adaptation of
the scale to the Turkish language was performed by
Dereboy.20 TAS-20 was revised by Motan and Gençöz in
2007. Through a factor analysis in that study, the three following
factors were identified; including ”difficulty identifying and
describing feelings (TAS-A)”, ”difficulty communicating feelings
(TAS-B), and ”externally-oriented thinking (TAS-C). The sum of the
points obtained from those three factors is a measure of general
alexithymia (TAS-T). High scores obtained from the scale indicate high
alexithymic features.21
Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3): ASI-3 comprises 16
items scored on a five-point Likert scale. The validity and reliability
of ASI-3 in the Turkish language was shown by Mantar et
al..22 It has been suggested that anxiety sensitivity
predisposes the individual to develop various anxiety
disorders.23
Somatosensory Amplification Scale (SAS): It is a
Likert-type scale that investigates the amplification of somatic
sensations experienced by the individual. The total score is evaluated
as the amplification score. The validity and reliability of ASI-3 in the
Turkish language was shown by Güleç et al..24