Thesis:

The effectiveness of problem-solving skills training on alexithymia and internet addiction in high school boys in Sabzevar city

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of problem-solving skills training on alexithymia and internet addiction in high school boys in Sabzevar city. The present study was applied in terms of purpose and semi-experimental in terms of methodology and in the form of a pre-test-post-test design with a control and experimental group. The statistical population of the study included all male students in high school in the academic year 1403-1404, with a total of 32 people who were in two control groups (16 people) and experimental group (16 people). The instruments used were Young's Internet Addiction Questionnaire (1996), alexithymia questionnaire (Begby et al., 1994) and Dixon and Clore's group problem-solving skills training (1984). SPSS-27 software was used to analyze the data, using descriptive and inferential statistical methods. First, descriptive statistics parameters including frequency tables and graphs, mean, standard deviation were used to analyze the demographic characteristics of the sample, and in the inferential statistics section, correlation coefficient test and covariance analysis were used to test the research hypotheses. The results of the analysis of the first hypothesis showed that after controlling for the pre-test scores of Internet addiction, there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the post-test scores (F = 4.15, p ? 0.05). This finding indicates the effectiveness of problem-solving skill training in reducing Internet addiction. Also, the results of the second hypothesis test showed that problem-solving skill training significantly reduced alexithymia in the experimental group compared to the control group (F = 8.95, p = 0.006). This result was also obtained after controlling for the pre-test effect of alexithymia and indicates the positive effect of the educational intervention.

Keywords: Problem-solving training, internet addiction, alexithymia