Investigation of the relationship between digital obesity status and alexithymia in young people aged 10-24

Year 2025, Volume: 9 Issue: 2, 156 - 162, 25.08.2025

Mehmet Salih Yıldırım

https://doi.org/10.57127/kpd.26024438.1544535

Abstract

In today's rapidly digitalizing world, concepts such as digital obesity and alexithymia are becoming increasingly important. This study aims to examine the relationship between digital obesity and alexithymia in young people aged 10-24. In addition, it is aimed to raise awareness about the effects of digital technologies on health and to contribute to individuals developing healthier digital habits. This descriptive and correlational study was conducted between May 2023 and July 2023 with individuals between the ages of 10-24 (N = 391) in schools affiliated with Ağrı Provincial Directorate of National Education and Ağrı Ibrahim Çeçen University. The SPSS 22 package program and R programming language 4.1.3 were used in the study. It was found that as the digital obesity status of young people increased, the level of alexithymia also increased. In addition, it was determined that the Elastic Network Regression method is the best model that can be used to predict the level of alexithymia. According to Shapley value, the most important variable in predicting alexithymia was found to be digital obesity. In the study, it was determined that as the level of digital obesity increased, the level of alexithymia also increased. In combating digital obesity and alexithymia, it is recommended to provide educational programs and guidance services to encourage individuals to develop conscious digital usage habits.

Keywords

young people , digital obesity , alexithymia

Ethical Statement

The individuals to participate in the study were select-ed on a voluntary basis. Ethics committee approval was obtained from the Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Committee for the study (dated 25.05.2023 and numbered 121). Permission was obtained from the rele-vant institution where the study was conducted. The Helsinki Declaration of Human Rights was adhered to throughout the study to protect individual rights.

Supporting Institution

This study was carried out with the project code "DAHMYO.23.001" with Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University Scientific Supported by the Research Project.

Project Number

DAHMYO.23.001

Thanks

Conflict of Interest The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Informed Consent Before participation in the study, all participants provided informed consent. Project/Funding Information This study was carried out with the project code "DAHMYO.23.001" with Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University Scientific Supported by the Research Project. Data Sharing/Availability Data is available upon reasonable request. Author Contributions M.S.Y. designed this review paper. M.S.Y. collected the data, prepared the figures, and wrote the manuscript. M.S.Y. contributed to the discussion and revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgments The author wishes to thank all participants for engaging in this study.

10-24 yaş arası gençlerde dijital obezite durumu ile aleksitimi arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi

Abstract

Günümüzün hızla dijitalleşen dünyasında dijital obezite ve aleksitimi gibi kavramlar giderek önem kazanmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, 10-24 yaş arası gençlerde dijital obezite durumu ile aleksitimi arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemektir. Bununla birlikte dijital teknolojilerin sağlık üzerindeki etkileri konusunda farkındalık yaratılması ve bireylerin daha sağlıklı dijital alışkanlıklar geliştirmesine katkı sağlanması hedeflenmektedir. Tanımlayıcı ve ilişki arayıcı desende gerçekleştirilmiş olan bu çalışma, Mayıs 2023-Temmuz 2023 tarihleri arasında Ağrı İl Milli Eğitim Müdürlüğü ve Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen Üniversitesi'ne bağlı okullardaki 10-24 yaş aralığındaki bireylerle (N = 391) yürütülmüştür. Çalışmada SPSS 22 paket programı ve R programlama dili 4.1.3 kullanılmıştır. Gençlerin dijital obezite durumu arttıkça aleksitimi düzeyinin de arttığı tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca, Elastik Ağ Regresyonu yönteminin aleksitimi düzeyini tahmin etmek için kullanılabilecek en iyi model olduğu belirlenmiştir. Shapley değerine göre aleksitimiyi yordamada en önemli değişken dijital obezite olarak bulunmuştur. Çalışmada dijital obezite düzeyi arttıkça aleksitimi düzeyinin de arttığı belirlenmiştir. Dijital obezite ve aleksitimi ile mücadelede, bireylerin bilinçli dijital kullanım alışkanlıkları geliştirmelerini teşvik edecek eğitim programları ve rehberlik hizmetlerinin sunulması önerilmektedir.

Keywords

gençler , dijital obezite , aleksitimi

Ethical Statement

The individuals to participate in the study were select-ed on a voluntary basis. Ethics committee approval was obtained from the Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Committee for the study (dated 25.05.2023 and numbered 121). Permission was obtained from the rele-vant institution where the study was conducted. The Helsinki Declaration of Human Rights was adhered to throughout the study to protect individual rights.

Supporting Institution

This study was carried out with the project code "DAHMYO.23.001" with Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University Scientific Supported by the Research Project.

Project Number

DAHMYO.23.001

Thanks

Conflict of Interest The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Informed Consent Before participation in the study, all participants provided informed consent. Project/Funding Information This study was carried out with the project code "DAHMYO.23.001" with Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University Scientific Supported by the Research Project. Data Sharing/Availability Data is available upon reasonable request. Author Contributions M.S.Y. designed this review paper. M.S.Y. collected the data, prepared the figures, and wrote the manuscript. M.S.Y. contributed to the discussion and revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgments The author wishes to thank all participants for engaging in this study.

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