Relationship of internet gaming disorder severity with symptoms of anxiety, depression, alexithymia, and aggression among university students

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship of Internet gaming disorder severity with alexithymia and aggression among university students, while controlling for effects of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Method: The study was conducted with an online survey among 987 volunteer university students in Ankara. Participants were evaluated by administering the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short-Form (IGDS9-SF), and the depression and anxiety subscales of the 90-Item Symptom Checklist-Revised (SCL-90-R). Results: Scores for the different scales mildly correlated with one other. In hierarchical linear regression analysis, both alexithymia (particularly the dimensions "difficulty identifying feelings" [DIF] and "externally-oriented thinking" [EOT]) and aggression (physical aggression) predicted the severity of Internet gaming disorder symptoms, together with severity of depressive symptoms. Conclusion: These findings suggest that among university students, the severity of alexithymia, particularly in its dimensions DDF and EOT, is related with the severity of Internet gaming disorder, together with aggression, particularly physical aggression, and depression.