How does academic stress affect academic learning? The mediating role of internet addiction and the role of alexithymia

Building on the stress-coping model and the alexithymia-stress hypothesis, the present cross-sectional study examined the link between academic stress and a specific facet of academic engagement, i.e. academic learning. More specifically, we examined how academic stress might lead to lower academic learning through Internet addiction symptoms, assuming that Internet addiction would be a coping mechanism used primarily by students with high alexithymia. The convenience sample comprised 301 Romanian university students aged 18 to 25 (M = 20.71, SD = 1.31, 88.4% females). Results suggested that high levels of academic stress were associated with high levels of academic learning. Internet addiction partially mediated the effect of academic stress on academic learning, shaping a significant suppressor effect: higher academic stress, mediated by Internet addiction, was associated with lower academic learning. Also, alexithymia moderated the relationship between academic stress and Internet addiction: high and medium levels of alexithymia significantly increased the influence of academic distress on Internet addiction. We discuss the present findings regarding their implications for students' mental health and educational outcomes.