Abstract

Background: Previous researches of alexithymia have shown indications of its presence in several addictive disorders like internet addiction (IA). Thereby, this study aimed to explore this possibility by examining the prevalence as well as the relationship between alexithymia and internet addiction among university students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted using a convenient non-probability sampling technique. A total of 506 Saudi university students participated in this study. They were aged between 18 and 25 years and were enrolled in either government or private universities in Riyadh. The prevalence of alexithymia was determined using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, while the extent of internet addiction was measured
using the Internet Addiction Test (IAT). Quantitative data analysis was conducted by t-test and the association of qualitative variables by χ2 test was conducted (p ≤ 0.05).
Results: Among the participants, 30.2% had alexithymia, of which 65.2% had mild IA. There was a significant relationship between alexithymia and internet addiction (p = 0.001). The prevalence of alexithymia was related with age, daily internet hours (p = 0.032), and reported psychiatric disorder (p < 0.001). IA had a significant relationship with study hours (p = 0.029), daily internet hours (p < 0.001), and reported psychiatric disorder (p = 0.027).
Conclusion: The high prevalence of alexithymia among university students in KSA and its positive relationship with IA is a real concern and needs to be addressed. Preventive intervention strategies are deemed imperative.

Key words: Alexithymia, TAS-20, internet addiction test, students, Saudi Arabia