Examining the Influence of Alexithymia, Gender, and Age on Drug Use among Iranian Students: the Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation Difficulties.

The objective of the present study was to predict drug use among Iranian students on the basis of alexithymia, gender, age, and the mediating role of emotion regulation difficulty. This research employed a descriptive-correlational approach (structural equation modeling). The statistical population included 400 high school students studying during the 2023-2024 academic year in the cities of Khorramabad and Ardabil.