Children's Alexithymia Measure (CAM)

CAM FAQ

How do I access information about the CAM?

Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma - article

Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma - erratum

CAM (revised 7/25/11)

 

What does the CAM measure?

 The CAM measures alexithymia in children and adolescents. The concept of alexithymia has been defined various ways. Simply stated, it is a lack of words for feelings (Buchanan, Waterhouse, & West, 1980); more complexly stated, it is defined as having “difficulty identifying and describing feelings, difficulty distinguishing between feelings and bodily sensations, a lack of imaginative ability, and a focus on the external world rather than internal feelings” (Nemiah & Sifneos, 1970; Nemiah, Freyberger, & Sifneos, 1976; Marty & de M’Uzan, 1963, as cited in Hendryx, Haviland, & Shaw, 1991, pp. 227-228). The Children’s Alexithymia Measure has a unidimensional factor structure and measures difficulties expressing feelings.

 

What is the full reference citation for the CAM?

Way, I., Applegate, B., Cai, X., Kimball-Franck, L., Black-Pond, C., Yelsma, P., Roberts, E., Hyter, Y., & Muliett, M. (2010). Children’s Alexithymia Measure (CAM): A new instrument for screening difficulties with emotional expression. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma, 3, 303-318.

 

Who completes the CAM?

The Children’s Alexithymia Measure (CAM) is designed to be completed by a parent or other caregiver who has known the child for some time.

 

Is there a cost to use the CAM in clinical practice or in research?

There is no cost to use the CAM. The CAM is in the public domain and may be used in its entirety, fully citing the authors.

 

What permissions are required to use the CAM in clinical practice or in research?

There is no permission needed to use the CAM. The CAM is in the public domain and may be used in its entirety, fully citing the authors.

 

What are scoring and interpretation guidelines for the CAM?

Scoring directions: Add the score for each of the 14 items, to obtain a total score.

Interpretation: Higher scores indicate increasing levels of behaviors associated with alexithymia. The authors intend the CAM to be administered and interpreted by clinicians as a screening instrument to help guide treatment. It is expected that clinicians will use clinical judgment in interpreting CAM scores.

 

With what population was the CAM developed?

The CAM was developed with data from “caregivers of children assessed or treated for a variety of emotional difficulties … all of whom had experienced trauma” (Way et al., 2010, p. 308).

 

What permissions are required to initiate a project to translate the CAM into another language?

The CAM is in the public domain, so no special permissions are required to use the CAM, or to pursue a project of translating the CAM into another language. 

We do recommend that:

(1) back-translating is an important component of translating a research instrument into another language, in order to ensure accuracy; and

(2) interpretation of the construct of alexithymia cannot be made cross-culturally until an invariance study is done (i.e., MGCFA; a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis; e.g.,

Using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate cross-cultural research: identifying and understanding non-invariance

Gavin T.L. Brown, Lois R. Harris, Chrissie O'Quin, and Kenneth E. Lane

International Journal of Research & Method in Education Vol. 40 , Iss. 1, 2017).

We recommend this best practice when the CAM is translated into another language.

 

questions about the cam?

Please contact Dr. Brooks Applegate at brooks.applegate@wmich.edu