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Nomophobia refers to an intense anxiety and stress caused by being out of contact with mobile phones (MPs). It is known that excessive engagement with MPs decreases adolescents' psychological well-being, social and academic functioning. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations of nomophobia with alexithymia which is characterized by difficulties in describing and expressing emotions and using empathy, and with the metacognition characteristics which have the function of controlling the cognitions in an adolescent population. The study was conducted on 1817 participants (n = 972, 54% female, n = 835, 46% male). The Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q), The Twenty-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and The Metacognition Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (MCQ-C) were administered to participants. A question form for socio-demographic data was also administered to participants and their families. Cathegorical variables were analyzed by chi-square test, and numerical variables were analyzed by independent sample t test. The relationships between the scales' scores were analyzed by the Pearson-product moments correlation test. The predictive effects of alexithymia, metacognition problems and gender were assessed by multiple linear regression analysis. Nomophobia, alexithymia and metacognition problem levels were significantly higher in females than males. There was a significant correlation between NMP-Q and TAS-20 scores and MCQ-C scores. TAS-20, MCQ-C scores and gender significantly predicted the nomophobia when NMP-Q score was a dependent variable. Therapeutic interventions for improving social skills like emphatic thinking and/or increasing emotional expression may be beneficial in the treatment of adolescents with alexithymic traits which experience nomophobia. Moreover, interventions that enhance metacognitive skills which can control negative thoughts triggered by the possibility of losing contact with MPs may increase treatment success.

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Children and adolescents with CB did not differ from the comparison group in terms of attachment, whereas, they had lower scores on behavioral problems than the comparison group. Although previous studies indicate that children and adolescents with CB may be at the risk of insecure attachment, our study suggested that adaptive mechanisms of their families together with professional help from specialized teachers and services provided by schools for children and adolescents with CB may play compensatory roles.

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OBJECTIVES: Psychological factors may be the underlying causes in unexplained chest pain (UCP). Chest pain symptom may influence the emotional status and peer relationships of the children and adolescents negatively. However, the number of studies focussing on the aetiology and consequences of the adolescent UCP are still limited. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships among psychological problems, attachment characteristics, and the UCP in a group of adolescents. METHODS: Seventy-three adolescents with UCP and seventy-one healthy adolescents were included in the study. The adolescents completed the short form of Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (s-IPPA), and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), while their parents completed the parental form of the SDQ. RESULTS: Contrary to expectations, there was no significant interaction between total parental attachment levels and UCP in the adolescents with UCP. There were significant correlations between the attachment problems and total difficulties score of SDQ. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that higher emotional and conduct problems and lower prosocial characteristics predict the UCP in adolescents, significantly. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that emotional/behavioural problems and lower prosocial behaviour scores are associated with UCP. However, further studies are needed for better understanding about the relationships between the UCP and attachment quality. ARTICLE HISTORY