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. 2022 Jan 10:12:788458.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.788458. eCollection 2021.

Effect of Alexithymia on Internet Addiction Among College Students: The Mediating Role of Metacognition Beliefs

Hongge Luo  1   2 , Yanli Zhao  3 , Jiangyue Hong  3 , Hong Wang  2 , Xiujun Zhang  1 , Shuping Tan  3
Affiliations

Effect of Alexithymia on Internet Addiction Among College Students: The Mediating Role of Metacognition Beliefs

Hongge Luo et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have found that alexithymia plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Internet addiction. However, the effect of alexithymia on both metacognition and Internet addiction has yet to be examined. Methods: The Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Metacognition Questionnaire, and Internet Addiction Test were used to assess a sample of 356 college students. A parallel mediator effect analysis was applied to test the hypothesis that metacognition mediates the relationship between alexithymia and Internet addiction. Results: The parallel multiple mediator models showed that alexithymia predicted the five dimensions of metacognition and Internet addiction, and that three dimensions-cognitive confidence, positive beliefs about worry, and the need to control thoughts-partially mediated this relationship. Conclusion: Alexithymia could directly and indirectly predict Internet addiction via metacognition.

Keywords: Internet addiction; alexithymia; college students; metacognition; parallel multiple mediator models.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Measurement model.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Mediation model of alexithymia, Internet addiction, and metacognition with its dimensions. TAS, Toronto Alexithymia Scale; CC, cognitive confidence; POS, positive beliefs about worry; CSC, cognitive self-consciousness; NEG, negative beliefs about uncontrollability and danger of worry; NC, need to control thoughts; IAT, Internet addiction test; *p < 0.05, ***p < 0.001; the continuous lines mean that the path coefficient between the variables is significant. The dotted lines mean that the path coefficient between the variables is not significant.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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