The Relationship between Alexithymia and Internet Addiction: The Mediating Role of Depression, Anxiety and Stress in a non-clinical population

The research aimed to study the mediating role of depression, anxiety and stress in relationship between alexithymia and internet addiction. The research method is descriptive and correlational. The research population consisted of all Master of Science students at the Islamic Azad University South Tehran Branch in the academic year 2017-2018. 370 people were selected by cluster random sampling. Research instruments was included alexithymia Toronto scale, Yang internet addiction questionnaire and depression, Anxiety and stress questionnaire (DAS-21). Data were analyzed using path analysis and Pearson correction coefficient. Results showed that depression, anxiety and stress have a mediator role in the relationship between alexithymia with internet addiction. Alexithymia affects internet addiction both directly and through depression, anxiety and stress. Moreover, alexithymia is assigned a significant positive relationship with depression, anxiety, stress and internet addiction. In addition, depression, anxiety, stress is assigned a significant positive relationship with internet addiction. Based on the findings of this research, alexithymia is affective in unpleasant emotional states of depression, anxiety and stress, and internet addiction; and these unpleasant emotional states also effective in internet addiction .