The mediating role of alexithymia and loneliness in the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and nomophobia

Abstract

Background: Little is known about how alexithymia and loneliness might influence the connection between childhood emotional abuse (CEA) and nomophobia, and whether gender plays a role. Adolescence, a critical developmental stage in which emotional competencies, social relationships, and technology use patterns consolidate, can be considered a key period for understanding the pathways from early adversity to technology-related vulnerabilities. Purpose: Our study aims to investigate whether alexithymia and loneliness sequentially mediate the relationship between CEA and nomophobia in adolescence, and whether this mediation is invariant across genders. Research Design: A structural equation modeling (SEM) with latent variables was conducted to test the mediation model. Study Sample: A total of 1,032 adolescents (50% girls) aged 14–17 participated in the study. Data Collection and Analysis: Self-report questionnaires assessed CEA, alexithymia, loneliness, and nomophobia. Main analyses were controlled for background variables. Results: Findings showed significant links between all direct paths: CEA → alexithymia (β = .36), CEA → loneliness (β = .23), CEA → nomophobia (β = .11), alexithymia → loneliness (β = .23), alexithymia → nomophobia (β = .33), loneliness → nomophobia (β = .23). Furthermore, significant links were found between all indirect paths, and gender invariance of the model was also confirmed. Conclusions: These results suggest that emotionally abused adolescents with high levels of alexithymia and feelings of loneliness may be more likely to experience nomophobic behaviors. Consequently, developing interventions targeting alexithymia and loneliness could be beneficial in preventing and managing nomophobia in emotionally abused adolescents. Further implications are discussed.