Alexithymia components in excessive internet users: A multi-factorial analysis

Kandri, Theodora A.; Bonotis, Konstantinos; Floros, Georgios; Zafiropoulou, Maria

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2014.07.066

Cited by 42 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Also, Scimeca et al found that there was a correlation between levels of alexithymia and IA, and that alexithymia even qualified as a predictor of IA scores ( 21 ). In line with those findings, Kandri et al ( 22 ), who took sociodemographic as well as emotional profiles of Internet users into account, found that alexithymia and excessive Internet use were strongly related.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Characteristics of Social Network Gamers: Results of an Online Survey

et al. 2015

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Current research on Internet addiction (IA) reported moderate to high prevalence rates of IA and comorbid psychiatric symptoms in users of social networking sites (SNS) and online role-playing games. The aim of this study was to characterize adult users of an Internet multiplayer strategy game within a SNS. Therefore, we conducted an exploratory study using an online survey to assess sociodemographic variables, psychopathology, and the rate of IA in a sample of adult social network gamers by Young’s Internet Addiction Test (IAT), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-26), the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R), and the WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). All participants were listed gamers of “Combat Zone” in the SNS “Facebook.” In this sample, 16.2% of the participants were categorized as subjects with IA and 19.5% fulfilled the criteria for alexithymia. Comparing study participants with and without IA, the IA group had significantly more subjects with alexithymia, reported more depressive symptoms, and showed poorer quality of life. These findings suggest that social network gaming might also be associated with maladaptive patterns of Internet use. Furthermore, a relationship between IA, alexithymia, and depressive symptoms was found that needs to be elucidated by future studies.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Characteristics of Social Network Gamers: Results of an Online Survey

et al. 2015

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“…These associations are typically interpreted by researchers as reflecting use of different means to enhance or reinforce narcissistic feelings of superiority and grandiosity. As mentioned earlier, research has indicated that several other traits are similarly elevated in those with behavioural addictions as in those with substance abuse or addiction, including rash impulsiveness, reward sensitivity, and alexithymia (Kandri et al, ; Lyvers et al, ). Dawe et al () differentiated between reward sensitivity and rash impulsiveness in terms of purported roles as predisposing factors in substance misuse, with the former promoting onset of use and the latter maintaining compulsive use in addiction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…For example, comorbidity of pathological gambling with substance addictions has been attributed to high trait impulsivity (Petry, ). Further, those identified as having Internet addiction are reported to show elevated levels of several traits that are similarly elevated in those with substance abuse or addiction (e.g., Kandri, Bonotis, Floros, & Zafiropoulou, ; Lyvers, Karantonis, Edwards, & Thorberg, ; Mahapatra & Sharma, ). Such traits include rash impulsiveness, or acting without appropriate consideration of consequences (Spinella, ); reward sensitivity, or the degree to which behaviour is motivated by the prospect of access to positive reinforcers (Dawe, Gullo, & Loxton, ); and alexithymia, a trait characterised by difficulties in identifying and verbalising the emotional feelings of self and others, as well as an overly concrete or externalised cognitive style (Preece, Becerra, Allan, Robinson, & Dandy, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disordered social media use and risky drinking in young adults: Differential associations with addiction‐linked traits

Lyvers

Narayanan

Thorberg

2019

Australian Journal of Psychology

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Background: Excessive or compulsive use of social media has been likened to an addiction, similar to other behavioural addictions such as pathological gambling or Internet addiction. This investigation sought to determine the degree to which personality traits associated with such disordered social media use overlap with those known to predict problematic substance use, with use of the most commonly abused legal substance alcohol as an example of the latter. Method: Well-known indices of disordered social media use, risky or problematic alcohol use, and the personality traits alexithymia, reward sensitivity, narcissism, and impulsivity were administered online to 143 men and women aged 18-35 years who were regular users of social media. The traits examined had previously been linked to substance misuse for a variety of substances, including alcohol, as presumed predisposing factors. Results: After controlling for age, gender, and social desirability in hierarchical regressions, disordered social media use was predicted by narcissism, reward sensitivity, and impulsivity, whereas risky alcohol use was predicted by narcissism, alexithymia, and impulsivity. The ability of narcissism to predict disordered social media use was mediated by reward sensitivity, which was not the case for risky drinking. Conclusions: Present results point to similarities and differences in addictionlinked traits when comparing disordered social media use to risky or problematic substance use.

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“…Overall, this sort of therapeutic approach may contribute to reduce the alexithymia, usually associated with this kind of disorders (Kandri et al, 2014).…”

Section: Therapeutic Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Video Game Addiction and Emotional States: Possible Confusion Between Pleasure and Happiness?

et al. 2020

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Internet gaming disorder is characterized by a severely reduced control over gaming, resulting in an increasing gaming time and leading to negative consequences in many aspects of the individual life: personal, family, social, occupational and other relevant areas of functioning (World Health Organization). In the last years, the significant boom in using video games has been raising health issues that remain insufficiently understood. The extent of this phenomenon (the estimated prevalence is between 1.7 and 10% of the general population) has led the mentioned Organization to include gaming disorders in the list of mental health conditions (2018). Several studies show converging findings that highlight the common brain activities between substance use disorders and behavioral addictions (i.e., gaming disorders). Addiction specialists observed that addict subjects tend to confuse pleasure with happiness when linking emotional states to their addictive activities. As far as we know, beyond the mentioned observations, distinguishing the perception of these two emotional states in the frame of an addiction has not been yet the object of formal research. This study aims at examining the possible confusion between pleasure and happiness within the addiction sphere. Video game addiction has been chosen to explore the possible occurrence of this perceptional distortion. A mixed design lab-based study was carried out to compare between video games addicts and non-addicts (between-subjects), and video games-related activities and neutral activities (within-subject). Emotional reactions were gauged by self-reported scales and physiological data acquired through a range of biosensors: Relaxation and Hearth Rate. From a therapeutic standpoint, this research intends to explore alternatives to deal with this sort of disorders. More specifically, at the cognitive level, the idea is elaborating guidelines to develop patients' insights into these emotional states and thus increasing their ability to handle them. Overall, several indices resulting from this study constitute a bundle of arguments that argue in favor of the confusion between pleasure and happiness made by addict users when associating their affective states to video gaming. Furthermore, this approach illustrates how reappraising emotions may contribute to reducing the perceptional distortion of these emotional states.

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Alexithymia components in excessive internet users: A multi-factorial analysis

Cited by 42 publications

References 65 publications

Characteristics of Social Network Gamers: Results of an Online Survey

Characteristics of Social Network Gamers: Results of an Online Survey

Disordered social media use and risky drinking in young adults: Differential associations with addiction‐linked traits

Video Game Addiction and Emotional States: Possible Confusion Between Pleasure and Happiness?

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