Rates of Alexithymia and Its Association With Smartphone Addiction Among a Sample of University Students in Egypt

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IntroductionAlexithymia is characterized by difficulties in describing feelings. Many studies have shown that there is a relation between alexithymia and different types of addictions. Nowadays, smartphone addiction is proposed to be a global problem. The current study focuses on the rates of alexithymia and its association with smartphone addiction in an Egyptian university.Materials and MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study that was conducted in Ain Shams University. A sample of 200 university students was surveyed using Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) and Smartphone Addiction Scale–Short Version (SAS-SV).ResultsThe results showed that 44 students (22%) had alexithymia. It was also found that around one third of the sample (N=65, 32.5%) met the criteria of smartphone addiction. There was a strong association between alexithymia and smartphone addiction (OR=4.33, 95% CI 2.15–8.74, p= < 0.001).ConclusionThis study supports existing literature indicating the strong association between alexithymia and smartphone addiction.

Keywords

• alexithymia
• smartphone addiction
• university students
• behavioral addiction
• Smartphone Addiction Scale–Short Version (SAS-SV)
• Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS)