Lost in Emotion and Connection: The Interaction Between Alexithymia, Emotional Eating, and Digital Addictions in Middle Adolescence

Öz

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationships between alexithymia, emotional eating, and problematic digital media use (internet and smartphone addiction) during middle adolescence, examining both mediation and moderation models. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between November 27, 2024 and January 1, 2025 with 234 participants aged 14-17 years. Participants completed validated self-report measures assessing alexithymia (TAS-20), emotional eating (EES-C), internet addiction (IAT-SF), and smartphone addiction (SAS-SF). Multiple linear regression, mediation (PROCESS Model 4), and moderation (PROCESS Model 1) analyses were performed. Results: The mean TAS-20 score was 55.1 (SD = 10.0), indicating moderate alexithymia, with girls scoring significantly higher than boys (p < 0.001, d = 0.53). Overall, 50.2% of the participants were classified as having smartphone addiction, with a higher prevalence in females (57.6%) than males (39.4%). The mean EES-C score was 58.2 (SD = 21.0), with no significant gender differences. Moderate positive correlations were found between alexithymia and both internet addiction (r = 0.44) and smartphone addiction (r = 0.33; both p < 0.05). Regression analysis revealed that internet addiction (B = 0.436, p < 0.001), but not smartphone addiction, significantly predicted alexithymia. Mediation analysis showed no significant indirect effect of emotional eating between alexithymia and internet addiction. Moderation analysis also revealed that alexithymia did not significantly moderate the emotional eating–internet addiction link. Conclusion: While alexithymia was directly associated with problematic internet and smartphone use, emotional eating did not mediate or moderate these relationships. These findings suggest that emotional eating and technology use may represent independent emotional regulation pathways rather than interconnected outcomes during middle adolescence.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Alexithymia
• emotional eating
• internet addiction
• smartphone addiction
• middle adolescence

Kaynakça

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