Problematic internet use and alexithymia: a meta-analysis

The current meta-analysis examined the relationship between problematic internet use and alexithymia, that is the inability to recognize emotions. A bibliographic search was carried out using the Scopus, PsycInfo, PubMed, Web of Science and ProQuest databases, recovering a total of 26 independent effect sizes from 25 papers that met the inclusion criteria. The total sample was composed of 13,313 subjects. The results revealed an association between problematic internet use and alexithymia (r = .25), hence those subjects who show higher scores of alexithymia also have higher levels of problematic internet use. The presence of publication bias is not appreciated. Implications and limitations of the work are discussed. The need to continue investigating the relationship between the two variables is pointed out, especially through longitudinal studies and in varied age groups.