Alexithymia, Negative Affectivity, and Social Media Use Among Young Adults in Italy

Ornella Montebarocci; Paola Surcinelli

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11

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Alexithymia, Negative Affectivity, and Social Media Use Among Young Adults in Italy

Ornella Montebarocci^*

, Paola Surcinelli

Published in International Journal of Psychological Science (Volume 5, Issue 4)

Received: 24 October 2025 Accepted: 4 November 2025 Published: 9 December 2025

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Abstract

This study examines the relationship between negative affectivity-specifically depression, anxiety, and alexithymia-and patterns of social network site (SNS) use in a sample of young adults aged 20 to 29. While previous research has primarily focused on adolescents, the present study investigates how negative emotional traits influence SNS behaviors among university students. Regression analyses revealed that alexithymia, particularly difficulties in identifying and describing feelings (DIF, DDF), significantly predicted a preference for online communication, increased responsiveness to online content, and greater emotional distress when access to SNSs was restricted. In contrast, depressive symptoms and anxiety did not significantly predict SNS use. These findings suggest that difficulties in emotional awareness and regulation, rather than general negative affective states, may be more directly associated with patterns of digital engagement. The results further indicate a potential form of emotional dependency on SNSs, even among individuals with subclinical alexithymic traits. Limitations include gender imbalance, the non-clinical nature of the sample, the cross-sectional design preventing causal inference, and reliance on self-report measures. Future research should address these methodological constraints and develop interventions aimed at enhancing emotional competence in self-regulation in digital contexts to promote healthier online social interactions.

Published in	International Journal of Psychological Science (Volume 5, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11
Page(s)	86-91
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Depression, Anxiety, Alexithymia, Social Media Use

1. Introduction

In recent years, the widespread use of social networking platforms has spurred increasing research into their psychological effects, particularly on adolescents. A growing number of studies have consistently found links between social media use and negative emotional states in this age group, especially symptoms of depression and anxiety, even in the absence of formal clinical diagnoses

[1, 2]

. While cross-sectional studies often reveal strong correlations between higher screen time or problematic social media behaviour and elevated levels of depressive or anxious symptoms

[3]

, findings from longitudinal research paint a more complex picture, typically indicating small but statistically significant long-term effects

[4, 5]

. Meta-analyses have identified modest positive associations between social media use and internalizing symptoms among adolescents

[4, 6]

. Crucially, it is problematic or addictive use, rather than overall usage, that demonstrates a stronger link to negative psychological outcomes

[7]

This study aims to explore and deepen the understanding of the relationship between negative affectivity, characterized by depressive symptoms, anxiety traits, emotional dysregulation, or alexithymia, and social media use among young adults. While most of the previous research has focused exclusively on adolescent populations, this investigation involved participants categorized as young adults, aged between 18 and 29 years. Previous cross-sectional studies have found significant correlations between high-frequency or problematic social media use and increased levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among college-aged individuals

[8, 9]

. Meta-analyses and longitudinal studies suggest that while causal relationships remain difficult to establish, problematic patterns of use are more robustly associated with poor mental health outcomes

[1, 10]

. Moreover, young adults with pre-existing depressive or anxious tendencies may be more likely to engage in excessive social media use, suggesting possible bidirectional effects

[2]

In the present study, we investigate the extent to which social media use is integrated into individuals’ daily routines and social identity, as well as its relationship with negative affectivity in a sample of young adults.

Specifically, it is hypothesized that a relationship exists between negative affectivity and the use of social networking sites (SNS), with higher self-perceived levels of negative affectivity (including anxiety, depression, and alexithymia) being associated with more intensive use and greater integration of social media platforms into daily life. This pattern of SNSs usage may reflect mechanisms characteristic of dependency: the discomfort associated with being alone with one’s own thoughts, indicating, in this context, a certain underlying psychological distress, may drive individuals to rely more heavily on these platforms, leading them to invest a significant portion of their cognitive and emotional resources in online interactions.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Participants

Ethical approval for the study was obtained by the Ethical Committee of the University of Bologna.

The sample consisted of 90 participants (62 females and 28 males), aged between 20 and 29 years (M = 21.66; SD = 1.61). Participants were recruited from a non-clinical Italian population through direct contact, primarily consisting of third-year students enrolled in the bachelor’s program in Psychological Sciences and Techniques at the University of Bologna. Descriptive analyses of the sample characteristics indicated a relatively high level of education: 92.4% of participants had completed high school, and 3.3% held a bachelor's degree-an expected finding given that most were currently enrolled in an undergraduate program. As anticipated, the majority of participants were students, most of whom were single (89.1%) and living either with their parents (70.7%) or with other students (29.3%).

Notably, 42.4% of the sample reported turning to social networks when feeling agitated, and 50% when feeling sad. This pattern suggests that a significant portion of the sample may use social networks as an emotional coping mechanism, particularly in response to negative affective states such as agitation and sadness. Most of the participants (83.7%) reported not using any medications. All others reported using medication to relieve physical pain.

2.2. Measures

All participants gave written informed consent after being fully informed about the study's purpose and procedures. Upon consenting, they completed the first section of a demographic questionnaire, which collected details such as their name, surname, age, place of birth, educational background, marital status, employment status, and current living arrangements.

The second section of the demographic questionnaire gathered information on participants' use of social networking, and whether they turned to social media platforms when feeling agitated and/or sad, using a yes/no response format.

To assess emotional investment in social media, we used a 7-item slight modification of the Social Media Use Integration Scale (SMUIS)

[11]

, whose authors report good reliability with Cronbach’s alpha of .89. For use in the current study, “social networks” replaced “Facebook” in the seven items, which included SMUIS 1 - “I feel disconnected from my friends when I can't access my social networks”; SMUIS 2 - “I wish everyone used social networks to communicate”; SMUIS 3- “I get upset when I can’t log on to my social networks”; SMUIS 4 - “I feel irritated when I don't have the possibility to access my social networks”; SMUIS 5 - “I prefer to communicate with others mainly through social networks”; SMUIS 6 - “I like to check my accounts frequently”; SMUIS 7 -“I often respond to content that others share on their social networks”. Items were rated on a 5-point Likert scale from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”, such that a higher overall score indicated a greater level of emotional investment.

The third section included psychometric instruments for assessing depression, trait anxiety, and alexithymia.

Depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II)

[12]

, a 21-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure the severity of depressive symptoms. Each item consists of a group of statements reflecting varying degrees of symptom severity, rated on a 4-point scale (0-3) based on how the participant has felt over the past two weeks.

Trait anxiety was assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - Form Y-2 (STAI-Y2)

[13]

, a self-report questionnaire designed to measure stable individual differences in anxiety proneness as a personality trait. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - Form Y-2 (STAI-Y2) is a widely used self-report instrument composed of 20 items designed to assess trait anxiety, conceptualized as a stable predisposition to experience anxiety across a variety of situations. Respondents indicate the frequency with which they generally experience anxiety-related symptoms using a 4-point Likert scale, ranging from 'Almost Never' to 'Almost Always'.

Alexithymia was assessed using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20)

[14]

, a 20-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure difficulties in identifying and describing feelings, as well as an externally oriented thinking style. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 'Strongly disagree' to 'Strongly agree'. The TAS-20 scale provides a total score for alexithymia and three subscale scores corresponding to its three dimensions: DIF-Difficulty Identifying Feelings, DDF-Difficulty in Describing Feelings and EOT-External Oriented Thinking.

2.3. Statistical Analysis

The data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical package, version 25.

For descriptive purposes, means and standard deviations of all instruments and their subscales were calculated.

A series of multiple linear regressions were conducted to explore whether negative affectivity, operationalized as depressive symptoms, trait anxiety, and alexithymia, could be associated to various aspects of Social Network Sites use. The BDI-II total score, STAI-Y2 total score, and TAS-20 Total score, along with its three subscales, DIF, DDF and EOT, were included as independent variables. The 7 items from the SMUIS scale were considered as separate dependent variables.

3. Results

Descriptive analyses showed that participants reported non-clinical levels of depression, anxiety, and alexithymia. Mean scores on the BDI-II (M = 16.26; SD = 6.29) indicated low depressive symptoms

[12]

. Similarly, STAI-Y2 scores (M = 49.77; SD = 2.78) were below the clinical threshold, suggesting that participants did not experience clinically significant levels of trait anxiety

[13]

. The average TAS-20 score (M = 45.48; SD = 11.11) also fell below the cut-off for alexithymia, and this pattern was consistent across its three subscales: DIF (M = 14.77, SD = 5.09), DDF (M = 12.54, SD = 4.39), and EOT (M = 16.25, SD = 4.02).

Regression analyses revealed that negative affectivity variables significantly predicted preference for online communication (SMUIS 5) (R =.37; Adjusted R² =.08; SSE =.98; F (6,83) = 2.26; p =.04). In particular, the TAS-20 Total score, DIF and DDF were significant predictors (β =.457, p =.008; β = 2.7, p =.04; and β = 1.41, p =.038; respectively). These results suggest that individuals with higher alexithymia, especially those who have difficulty identifying and describing emotions, are more likely to prefer virtual communication.

Similarly, negative affectivity variables predicted engagement with others’ online content (SMUIS 7) (R =.40; Adjusted R² =.098; SSE =.97; F (6,83) = 2.62; p =.02). The TAS-20 total score (β =.42; p =.012), DIF (β =.39; p =.02) and EOT (β = 1.19; p =.019) were significant predictors. These findings suggest that individuals with greater alexithymia, difficulties identifying emotions, and a more externally focused thinking style tend to interact more frequently with others’ social media content.

Although the overall regression model for emotional distress when disconnected from SNS (SMUIS 3) was not significant (F (6,83) = 1.44, p =.20), the TAS-20 total score alone predicted higher emotional distress (β =.25; p =.04). This suggests that higher levels of alexithymia are associated with stronger emotions when access to social media is limited.

No significant associations were found between depression (BDI-II), anxiety (STAI-Y2), or alexithymia measures (TAS-20 total and subscales) and the remaining SMUIS items (SMUIS 1: F(6,83) =.91, p =.49; SMUIS 2: F(6,83) =.61, p =.71; SMUIS 4: F(6,83) =.69, p =.65; SMUIS 6: F(6,83) =.63, p =.69) (see Table 1).

Table 1. Regression parameters for the BDI-II, STAI-Y2, and TAS-20 (Total and Subscales) and the SMUIS scale.

SMUIS 1

SMUIS 2

SMUIS 3

SMUIS

SMUIS 5

SMUIS 6

SMUIS 7

Predictor

B (SE), t

BDI-II

B=.01(.03)

t=.42

B=.01(.03)

t=-.09

B=-.01(.23)

t=-1.20

B=-.10(.03)

t=-.27

B=-.04(.02)

t=-1.4

B=-.02(.03)

t=-.75

B=-.15(.13)

t = -1.08

STAI-Y2

B=-.01(.02)

t=-.46

B=.007(.02)

t=-.17

B=-.02(.044)

t=.48

B=.01(.02)

t=.43

B=.25(.13)

t=1.8

B=.009(.02)

t=.33

B=.19(.15),

t = 1.4

TAS-20

B=-.08(.18)

t=-.48

B=.09(.15)

t=-.25

B=.27(.013)

t=2.07*

B=.06(.18)

t=.36

B=.05(.01)

t=2.7**

B=.04(.19)

t=.20

B=.07(.02)

t=2.56*

DIF

B=.13(.20)

t=.67

B=-.12(.17)

t=.75

B=.13(.16)

t =.64

B=.-.03(.21)

t=-.14

B=.26(.13)

t=1.92*

B=-.02(.22)

t=-.09

B=.04(.01)

t=2.37*

DDF

B=.06(.20)

t=.34

B=-.14(.17)

t=.19

B=.03(.18)

t=.23

B=-.08(.20)

t=-41

B=.32(.15)

t=2.1*

B=.006(.21)

t=.02

B =.22(.15)

t=1.42

EOT

B=.14(.17)

t=.82

B=-.11(.15)

t=.46

B=.07 (.16)

t=.53

B=-.02(.18)

t=-.07

B=.28(.15)

t=1.76

B=-.02(.19)

t=-.13

B=.3(.12)

t= 2.4*

Note: B = Unstandardized regression coefficient; SE=Standard Error; t=t-statistic; BDI-II = Beck Depression Inventory-II; STAI-Y2 = Trait Anxiety Inventory (Trait version); TAS-20=Toronto Alexithymia Scale (Total score) DIF=Difficulty Identifying Feelings; DDF =Difficulty Describing Feelings; EOT=Externally Oriented Thinking; SMUIS 1=I feel disconnected from my friends when I can't access my social networks; SMUIS 2=I wish everyone used social networks to communicate; SMUIS 3= I get upset when I can’t log on to my social networks; SMUIS 4=I feel irritated when I don't have the possibility to access my social networks; SMUIS 5=I prefer to communicate with others mainly through social networks; SMUIS 6=I like to check my accounts frequently; SMUIS 7=I often respond to content that others share on their social networks; * = significant at p <.05

4. Discussion

The present study aimed to investigate whether negative affectivity-specifically depressive symptoms, trait anxiety, and alexithymia-could be associated with various dimensions of internet and social network site (SNSs) usage in a sample of young adults. The underlying hypothesis proposed that individuals’ subjective experiences of depression and anxiety along with capacities for emotion regulation and symbolic functioning would influence how they approach and use social media

[3, 9, 10]

Results from the present study highlight that while depressive symptoms and anxiety were not significantly associated with SNS behaviors, alexithymia-particularly difficulties identifying (DIF) and describing feelings (DDF) emerged as predictors of specific SNSs usage patterns. Participants with higher alexithymia scores were more likely to prefer digital communication (SMUIS 5), respond frequently to online content (SMUIS 7), and report emotional distress when disconnected from SNS (SMUIS 3), suggesting a form of emotional dependency on these platforms

[15]

. These findings are consistent with previous studies showing that individuals with alexithymic traits often find face-to-face emotional expression difficult and may turn into digital spaces as a more comfortable way to interact socially

[16, 17]

The Externally Oriented Thinking (EOT) subscale also emerged as a predictor of frequent SNSs engagement (SMUIS 7), supporting the notion that individuals with a concrete, externally focused cognitive style are drawn to online environments that offer many external stimuli but require less emotional depth

[18]

. Such platforms may serve as emotionally simplified spaces for those who find introspection or symbolic emotional processing challenging. Younger individuals, such as those in this sample, may be particularly attracted to these virtual contexts, as they demand less emotional attunement than direct, face-to-face relationships.

Contrary to expectations, depressive symptoms and trait anxiety did not predict any of the SMUIS dimensions

[19]

. One possible reason is that the participants reported only mild, subclinical levels of depression and anxiety, which limited variability and reduced the predictive power of these factors. Alternatively, these results may indicate that specific emotional processing difficulties, characteristic of alexithymia, are more directly related to digital behaviors than general negative emotional states.

Despite these contributions, the study has several limitations.

First, the sample was gender-imbalanced, with a significantly higher proportion of female participants. A more gender-balanced sample would allow for more precise evaluation of potential sex-based differences in SNS use and emotional functioning. Moreover, the sample predominantly scored below clinical thresholds for all measures, limiting the generalizability of the findings to clinical or more diverse populations. Future research should investigate whether these findings remain stable across different populations, including clinical groups characterized by significant levels of anxiety and depression.

Second, modest effect sizes (e.g., Adjusted R² =.08) and the cross-sectional nature of the study prevent any conclusions about causality. It remains unclear whether alexithymia leads to increased SNS use, or whether excessive use of SNS contributes to emotional processing difficulties. Some longitudinal studies suggest that pre-existing depressive symptoms may predict increased social media engagement over time, raising the possibility of bidirectional effects

[5, 20]

. As such, current evidence supports a complex and context-dependent relationship between social network use and adolescent mental health, underscoring the need for more fine-grained research that distinguishes between types of use, user characteristics, and social environments. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify this relationship.

Third, the use of self-report measures may introduce bias due to social desirability or lack of insight, particularly relevant when measuring alexithymia

[21]

Finally, the Social Media Use Integration Scale used, while helpful in capturing emotional and behavioral components of SNS use, was limited to seven items and may not reflect the full complexity of online social behavior. It is also worth noting that this scale has not yet been validated for use in Italian samples. Future research should aim to validate the SNS measure within the Italian context and to provide a clear, operational definition of SNS use to enhance measurement accuracy

[22, 23]

5. Conclusion

In summary, this study highlights the relevance of alexithymia in understanding how individuals engage with social media. Specifically, even among individuals without pronounced alexithymic traits, difficulties in identifying and describing feelings, along with a concrete cognitive style, appear to be associated with a preference for online communication and increased responsiveness to social content. While depressive symptoms and trait anxiety did not emerge as significant predictors, alexithymic traits were associated with a preference for digital communication, heightened emotional investment in online interactions, and greater sensitivity to social media engagement. These results suggest that emotional processing difficulties, rather than general negative emotional states, may be more directly linked to digital behavior in young adults.

From a practical perspective, these findings point to the potential value of interventions aimed at enhancing emotional competence as a means of promoting healthier patterns of digital engagement. Programs focused on improving emotion recognition, regulation, and expression could help individuals manage emotional experiences more effectively and reduce compensatory reliance on social media for emotional regulation or social connection. In educational and clinical settings, preventive initiatives that integrate emotional literacy with digital well-being education may foster greater self-awareness and more adaptive forms of online interaction. Moreover, therapeutic approaches specifically targeting alexithymic traits-such as mindfulness-based or emotion-focused interventions-could be beneficial in increasing emotional insight and reducing the tendency to substitute online communication for face-to-face social exchanges. Strengthening emotional competence in this way may ultimately contribute to more balanced, empathetic, and meaningful communication across both digital and offline contexts.

Future research should address the limitations noted, including sample characteristics and measurement tools, and prioritize longitudinal designs to clarify causal relationships.

Abbreviations

SNSs	Social Network Sites
BDI-II	Beck Depression Inventory-II
STAI-Y2	Trait Anxiety Inventory (Trait Version)
TAS-20	Toronto Alexithymia Scale
SMUIS	Social Media Use Integration Scale

Author Contributions

Ornella Montebarocci: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal Analysis, Methodology, Project administration, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

Paola Surcinelli: Data curation, Formal Analysis, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Montebarocci, O., Surcinelli, P. (2025). Alexithymia, Negative Affectivity, and Social Media Use Among Young Adults in Italy. International Journal of Psychological Science, 5(4), 86-91. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11

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Montebarocci, O.; Surcinelli, P. Alexithymia, Negative Affectivity, and Social Media Use Among Young Adults in Italy. Int. J. Psychol. Sci. 2025, 5(4), 86-91. doi: 10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11

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Montebarocci O, Surcinelli P. Alexithymia, Negative Affectivity, and Social Media Use Among Young Adults in Italy. Int J Psychol Sci. 2025;5(4):86-91. doi: 10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11,
  author = {Ornella Montebarocci and Paola Surcinelli},
  title = {Alexithymia, Negative Affectivity, and Social Media Use Among Young Adults in Italy},
  journal = {International Journal of Psychological Science},
  volume = {5},
  number = {4},
  pages = {86-91},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijps.20250504.11},
  abstract = {This study examines the relationship between negative affectivity-specifically depression, anxiety, and alexithymia-and patterns of social network site (SNS) use in a sample of young adults aged 20 to 29. While previous research has primarily focused on adolescents, the present study investigates how negative emotional traits influence SNS behaviors among university students. Regression analyses revealed that alexithymia, particularly difficulties in identifying and describing feelings (DIF, DDF), significantly predicted a preference for online communication, increased responsiveness to online content, and greater emotional distress when access to SNSs was restricted. In contrast, depressive symptoms and anxiety did not significantly predict SNS use. These findings suggest that difficulties in emotional awareness and regulation, rather than general negative affective states, may be more directly associated with patterns of digital engagement. The results further indicate a potential form of emotional dependency on SNSs, even among individuals with subclinical alexithymic traits. Limitations include gender imbalance, the non-clinical nature of the sample, the cross-sectional design preventing causal inference, and reliance on self-report measures. Future research should address these methodological constraints and develop interventions aimed at enhancing emotional competence in self-regulation in digital contexts to promote healthier online social interactions.},
 year = {2025}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Alexithymia, Negative Affectivity, and Social Media Use Among Young Adults in Italy
AU  - Ornella Montebarocci
AU  - Paola Surcinelli
Y1  - 2025/12/09
PY  - 2025
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11
T2  - International Journal of Psychological Science
JF  - International Journal of Psychological Science
JO  - International Journal of Psychological Science
SP  - 86
EP  - 91
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2994-7162
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11
AB  - This study examines the relationship between negative affectivity-specifically depression, anxiety, and alexithymia-and patterns of social network site (SNS) use in a sample of young adults aged 20 to 29. While previous research has primarily focused on adolescents, the present study investigates how negative emotional traits influence SNS behaviors among university students. Regression analyses revealed that alexithymia, particularly difficulties in identifying and describing feelings (DIF, DDF), significantly predicted a preference for online communication, increased responsiveness to online content, and greater emotional distress when access to SNSs was restricted. In contrast, depressive symptoms and anxiety did not significantly predict SNS use. These findings suggest that difficulties in emotional awareness and regulation, rather than general negative affective states, may be more directly associated with patterns of digital engagement. The results further indicate a potential form of emotional dependency on SNSs, even among individuals with subclinical alexithymic traits. Limitations include gender imbalance, the non-clinical nature of the sample, the cross-sectional design preventing causal inference, and reliance on self-report measures. Future research should address these methodological constraints and develop interventions aimed at enhancing emotional competence in self-regulation in digital contexts to promote healthier online social interactions.
VL  - 5
IS  - 4
ER  -

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Author Information

Ornella Montebarocci

Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

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http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5429-1307
Paola Surcinelli

Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

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http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7875-3545

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Table 1

Table 1. Regression parameters for the BDI-II, STAI-Y2, and TAS-20 (Total and Subscales) and the SMUIS scale.

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APA Style

Montebarocci, O., Surcinelli, P. (2025). Alexithymia, Negative Affectivity, and Social Media Use Among Young Adults in Italy. International Journal of Psychological Science, 5(4), 86-91. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11

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ACS Style

Montebarocci, O.; Surcinelli, P. Alexithymia, Negative Affectivity, and Social Media Use Among Young Adults in Italy. Int. J. Psychol. Sci. 2025, 5(4), 86-91. doi: 10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11

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AMA Style

Montebarocci O, Surcinelli P. Alexithymia, Negative Affectivity, and Social Media Use Among Young Adults in Italy. Int J Psychol Sci. 2025;5(4):86-91. doi: 10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11,
  author = {Ornella Montebarocci and Paola Surcinelli},
  title = {Alexithymia, Negative Affectivity, and Social Media Use Among Young Adults in Italy},
  journal = {International Journal of Psychological Science},
  volume = {5},
  number = {4},
  pages = {86-91},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijps.20250504.11},
  abstract = {This study examines the relationship between negative affectivity-specifically depression, anxiety, and alexithymia-and patterns of social network site (SNS) use in a sample of young adults aged 20 to 29. While previous research has primarily focused on adolescents, the present study investigates how negative emotional traits influence SNS behaviors among university students. Regression analyses revealed that alexithymia, particularly difficulties in identifying and describing feelings (DIF, DDF), significantly predicted a preference for online communication, increased responsiveness to online content, and greater emotional distress when access to SNSs was restricted. In contrast, depressive symptoms and anxiety did not significantly predict SNS use. These findings suggest that difficulties in emotional awareness and regulation, rather than general negative affective states, may be more directly associated with patterns of digital engagement. The results further indicate a potential form of emotional dependency on SNSs, even among individuals with subclinical alexithymic traits. Limitations include gender imbalance, the non-clinical nature of the sample, the cross-sectional design preventing causal inference, and reliance on self-report measures. Future research should address these methodological constraints and develop interventions aimed at enhancing emotional competence in self-regulation in digital contexts to promote healthier online social interactions.},
 year = {2025}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Alexithymia, Negative Affectivity, and Social Media Use Among Young Adults in Italy
AU  - Ornella Montebarocci
AU  - Paola Surcinelli
Y1  - 2025/12/09
PY  - 2025
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11
T2  - International Journal of Psychological Science
JF  - International Journal of Psychological Science
JO  - International Journal of Psychological Science
SP  - 86
EP  - 91
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2994-7162
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijps.20250504.11
AB  - This study examines the relationship between negative affectivity-specifically depression, anxiety, and alexithymia-and patterns of social network site (SNS) use in a sample of young adults aged 20 to 29. While previous research has primarily focused on adolescents, the present study investigates how negative emotional traits influence SNS behaviors among university students. Regression analyses revealed that alexithymia, particularly difficulties in identifying and describing feelings (DIF, DDF), significantly predicted a preference for online communication, increased responsiveness to online content, and greater emotional distress when access to SNSs was restricted. In contrast, depressive symptoms and anxiety did not significantly predict SNS use. These findings suggest that difficulties in emotional awareness and regulation, rather than general negative affective states, may be more directly associated with patterns of digital engagement. The results further indicate a potential form of emotional dependency on SNSs, even among individuals with subclinical alexithymic traits. Limitations include gender imbalance, the non-clinical nature of the sample, the cross-sectional design preventing causal inference, and reliance on self-report measures. Future research should address these methodological constraints and develop interventions aimed at enhancing emotional competence in self-regulation in digital contexts to promote healthier online social interactions.
VL  - 5
IS  - 4
ER  -

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