predicting problematic internet use based on loneliness and alexithymia in students

Introduction: problematic internet use (piu) is a complex and increasingly prevalent phenomenon in contemporary societies, posing a significant challenge, particularly for adolescents and young adults, and predominantly female upper secondary school students in shiraz, iran. consequently, the primary objective of the present study was to predict piu based on loneliness and alexithymia in female high school students. methods: in this descriptive-correlational study, the target population consisted of all female high school students in shiraz during the 2023–2024 academic year. for this study, a sample of 259 students was recruited using convenience sampling. data were collected using the problematic internet use questionnaire, the ucla loneliness scale, and the toronto alexithymia scale-20. statistical analysis was performed using the pearson correlation coefficient and simultaneous multiple regression. results: the results indicated significant positive relationships between loneliness and piu (r=0.47, p<0.001) and between alexithymia and piu (r=0.58, p<0.001). simultaneous multiple regression showed that loneliness and alexithymia together explained 39.8% of the variance in piu (r²=0.398, adjusted r²=0.394, f=84.83, p<0.001), with alexithymia (β=0.48, p<0.001) as the stronger predictor than loneliness (β=0.28, p<0.001). conclusion: the findings demonstrate that both loneliness and alexithymia are significant positive predictors of problematic internet use in female upper secondary students in shiraz, iran. consequently, these results strongly suggest that interventions targeting the reduction of loneliness and the enhancement of emotional identification and expression skills are crucial for effectively addressing piu within this population.