Problematic gaming is becoming increasingly prevalent among young people, often leading to negative developmental consequences. As an essential protective factor against problematic gaming, self-control is the capacity to manage emotions, thoughts, and actions when confronted with temptations and impulses. Previous studies have reported mixed findings regarding the association between problematic gaming and self-control. The current systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized the existing literature on this relationship among adolescents and emerging adults. A systematic search from eight electronic databases (PsycArticles, PsycINFO, EBSCOhost, Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I, and China Academic Journal Network Publishing Database) and two additional sources (Google Scholar and reference lists) identified 957 published studies. Of these, 46 articles involving 64,681 participants were included in the review, and 40 provided sample size and Pearson's r for the meta-analysis. The narrative review findings indicated that problematic gaming was negatively correlated with self-control with only two studies suggesting an insignificant relationship. The meta-analytic findings, conducted using a random-effects model in Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software Version 4.0, revealed a medium effect (r = -0.287, 95% CI = [-0.33, -0.25], p < 0.001), with high heterogeneity (I2 = 96.5%). Publication bias analysis showed a symmetric funnel plot and a nonsignificant Egger's test (p = 0.861), indicating no evidence of publication bias. No significant subgroup difference was found between adolescents and emerging adults. The results reveal that self-control is a critical factor in preventing and intervening problematic gaming. Trial registration: International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO); CRD42023451656; registered on 25 September, 2023.
Young adult couples frequently use text messages to discuss conflicts within their relationship. While face-to-face conflicts have been shown to elicit more negative anticipation and negative emotions in victims of traditional, offline forms of intimate partner violence (IPV) (e.g., psychological and physical) compared with nonvictims, no study has examined how victims of cyber IPV (C-IPV) experience conflicts, either text-based or face-to-face. This study investigated, among young adult couples, the interplay between C-IPV and conflict modality (text-based vs. face-to-face) in association with negative anticipation and negative emotions during the discussion. A community sample of 102 young adult couples completed a self-reported questionnaire of C-IPV in the last six months and engaged in two conflictual interactions: one text-based and one face-to-face. Negative anticipation of the upcoming discussion was assessed prior to each interaction, and negative emotions were assessed immediately after. Results suggest that text-based conflicts were associated with higher negative anticipation in partners experiencing average or high levels of C-IPV. In turn, negative anticipation was linked with higher negative emotions. Findings highlight the importance of promoting healthy conflict management through technology-mediated communication, especially among young adult couples experiencing C-IPV.
People regard cognitive effort as costly and try to conserve such effort whenever possible. This study aimed to examine the relationship between frequent media use and perceived cost for cognitive effort. A sample of 266 participants (mean age = 25.66, 187 females) completed questionnaires of media use, cognitive thinking style, and psychological distress. They also completed a cognitive task and estimated their cognitive effort spent on the task. The results showed that heavier media multitasking was associated with a higher perceived cost of cognitive effort during the task. No such relationship was observed for frequent use of social media, video gaming, or TV/Movies/YouTube. The findings suggest that the way media is engaged in, but not media consumption itself, is a key factor in cognitive effort avoidance. The results further our knowledge of the mechanisms involved in and driving media multitasking.
Bullying, a type of power abuse, deserves to be addressed, and this study examines bullying-related discussions on Reddit before and after the pandemic to better understand its dynamics during this time. We analyzed 8,720 posts and 21,607 comments from the r/Bullying subreddit using static and dynamic topic modeling (DTM) to understand the major topics discussed in the subreddit. Based on static topic modeling, we discovered that before the COVID-19 pandemic, the topics surrounding bullying focused on bullying in the school context, cyberbullying, and help-seeking, but changed to bullying against minority groups, workplace bullying, relationships and communication, and coping strategies. The long-term impact of bullying has emerged for both periods, implying that more efforts to prevent and combat bullying are needed to reduce the negative impacts throughout an individual's lifecycle. We also discovered that the proportion of cyberbullying/antibullying, negative emotions, and self-esteem increased following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to DTM. Our findings suggest that following the pandemic, victims and places of bullying became more distinct. In addition to the widely studied and disseminated bullying research and policies concerning children at school, more assistance is needed to prevent and assist bullying victims who are racial and religious minorities in various settings.

