Social media usage and alexithymia in nursing students

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the relationship between social media usage characteristics and alexithymia in nursing students.Design and methods: The study was conducted with 272 nursing students between November and December 2018 in Turkey. Data were collected using an information form to determine the sociodemographic and social media usage characteristics of the students, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale.Findings: According to the results of this study, nursing students use Instagram the most. As time spent on social media increases, the alexithymia score increases and students have difficulty recognizing their feelings.Practice implications: As the use of social media by nursing students affects their mental process and behavior patterns, the results of social media applications, which witness a wide range of feelings, thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors, should be included in the nursing curriculum. K E Y W O R D S alexithymia, computer communication, nursing, social media 1 | INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND The use of computer-mediated communication is becoming widespread and preferred over face-to-face communication. 1 With the beginning of Facebook use in 2006, this process has gained speed, and social media is currently used for education, communication, and entertainment purposes. 2,3 Social networking sites, such as Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, help users stay in touch with friends and family, discover what is happening in the world, and express what is important to them. Social media is a platform for information exchange and an environment that enables users to establish new relationships or protect existing ones. 4,5As a result of the widespread use of the internet and smartphones, individuals can share information and images instantly without time and space restrictions. Although this feature has many positive effects on individuals, such as communication, self-expression, socialization, positive self-esteem, globalization, and feelings of well-being, studies show that it can also lead to psychological problems. 5,6 Using social media leads to compulsive use behaviors and causes mental and physical problems, 7,8 addiction, 2,9,10 stress, 11,12 and alexithymia. 9,10,13 Alexithymia (also referred to as "emotional deafness") is a condition in which individuals lack the ability to perceive their own and other people's feelings. 14 Used for the first time by Sifneos in 1973, the term refers to a psychological structure characterized by difficulty in understanding, defining, and expressing one's own feelings. 12 Researchers have reported that alexithymia leads to a lack of empathy and anxiety, 10,13,15 compulsive behaviors, and interrupts interpersonal relationships. 9Due to the increase of internet and social media usage, researchers have examined the alexithymia behavior characteristics of users. 9,13 Alexithymia is characterized by a reduced capacity to define, analyze, and express emotions and restricted imagination. 16 These characteristics lead to difficulties in differentiating and evaluating the emot...

Life satisfaction, life quality, and leisure satisfaction in health professionals

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Social media use disorder and alexithymia: Any association between the two? Results of a cross‐sectional study among Lebanese adults

“…Internet and social media addiction are characterized by several symptoms including an obsession with these platforms, more time required on these platforms to achieve satisfaction, feeling impatient, moody, or depressed; remaining online for more time than initially planned, endangering or endangering a significant job, relation, education, or career opportunity and using these platforms as a method of avoiding problems/difficulties or relieving dysphoric attitude/temper 16 . Social media addiction and the excessive Internet use are associated with high levels of alexithymia, 1,58 which in turn leads to lower quality of life 2 . Our findings are consistent with these studies, suggesting that this association leads individuals to escape reality by using alternatives which involve lower levels of anxiety as means for social interaction 59 …”

The effect of affective learning on alexithymia, empathy, and attitude toward disabled persons in nursing students: A randomized controlled study

“…Moreover, it is stated that alexithymia leads to a lack of empathy, attitude, and interrupts interpersonal relationships 6 . In this context, examining alexithymia in nursing students, who are constantly communicating with the patients, is very important 8 . There are studies showing that the nursing curriculum should be structured to improve the emotional awareness of students 4,8,9 …”

“…6 In this context, examining alexithymia in nursing students, who are constantly communicating with the patients, is very important. 8 There are studies showing that the nursing curriculum should be structured to improve the emotional awareness of students. 4,8,9 Healthcare professionals providing health care to disabled persons are inadequate in determining their problems and finding the necessary solutions.…”

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