PAQ
Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire
A 24-item self-report measure of alexithymia across five dimensions (DIF/DDF split by positive vs negative valence, plus EOT).
For each statement, select the response that best matches how you feel. Answer based on how things generally are for you.
About the PAQ
The Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire was developed by Preece, Becerra, Robinson, Dandy, and Allan (2018) to address a key limitation of the TAS-20: the inability to distinguish between difficulty with negative versus positive emotions. The PAQ measures all three components of alexithymia — difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, and externally-oriented thinking — split across both emotional valences.
24 items on a 7-point scale. Designed for adults. Takes 5–15 minutes.
What it measures
N-DIF & P-DIF
Difficulty identifying negative and positive feelings. 4 items each.
N-DDF & P-DDF
Difficulty describing negative and positive feelings. 4 items each.
G-EOT
General externally-oriented thinking — tendency to focus on external events rather than inner emotional experience. 8 items.
Reliability
All PAQ subscales demonstrate high internal consistency reliability and convergent validity with the TAS-20. The valence split provides more actionable clinical insight than total-score-only instruments.
Important: The PAQ has not been specifically validated in autistic populations. General population norms may underestimate alexithymia in autism. It is a screening tool, not a diagnostic instrument.
Preece, D., Becerra, R., Robinson, K., Dandy, J., & Allan, A. (2018). The psychometric assessment of alexithymia: Development and validation of the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire. Personality and Individual Differences, 128, 31–40.