The relationship between parents' phubbing and adolescents' alexithymia: a chain mediation effect analysis

In order to explore the influencing factors and the formation mechanism of alexithymia in adolescents, 1920 adolescents were investigated with Toronto alexithymia scale, negative parents' phubbing scale, family expressiveness questionnaire and Delaware social emotional competency scale. It is found that: (1) parents phubbing was significantly positively correlated with alexithymia and negative family expressiveness, and significantly negatively correlated with social emotional competency; (2) Negative family expressiveness and social emotional competency play a partial mediating role between parents' phubbing and adolescents' alexithymia; (3) Negative family expressiveness and social emotional competency constitute a chain mediation between parents' phubbing and adolescents' alexithymia. This result provides an empirical basis for the prevention and intervention of alexithymia in adolescents.