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