Journal of Behavioral Addictions最新文献

Background: Gambling disorder (GD) is a behavioral addiction with significant psychological, social, and economic consequences. Despite growing female participation and distinct gambling characteristics, research and interventions largely male-centered, overlooking women-specific factors.

Objectives: This systematic review synthesizes evidence on prevention and treatment interventions for women with GD, assessing their effectiveness on gambling behaviors, cognitive and psychological outcomes, and identifying barriers related to access, adherence, and gender-sensitive design.

Method: A systematic search in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science (up to September 2025) identified quantitative studies reporting female-specific outcomes in gambling prevention or treatment. Study quality was appraised using National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute tools, and data on intervention characteristics, outcomes, and participant profiles were extracted.

Results: Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria (five prevention, thirteen treatment). Prevention programs, mostly universal and adolescent-focused, improved gambling knowledge, cognitive distortions, and short term gambling frequency; however, socioemotional effects were inconsistent. Only one study included follow-up assessment. Treatment studies, predominantly cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based, reduced gambling severity and psychological distress, although dropout and relapse rates were higher among women with greater psychopathology or limited support. Person-centered approaches benefited of tailoring interventions to individual profiles. No studies systematically applied gender-sensitive frameworks or disaggregated outcomes by sex in prevention.

Discussion and conclusion: Prevention and treatment programs can benefit women, but standard interventions insufficiently address their unique needs. Gender-sensitive, individualized strategies, inclusion of socioemotional factors, and long-term evaluations are essential to enhance outcomes and inform inclusive public health policies.

Background and aims: The nature and classification of dysregulated sexual behaviors remain widely debated. Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder (CSBD) and Problematic Pornography Use (PPU) are the two most commonly studied constructs in this area, each carrying significant implications for mental health, interpersonal functioning, and broader well-being. Although scientific output on these topics has expanded rapidly in the past decade, recent reviews have tended to focus on specific subthemes, single constructs, or narrow disciplinary perspectives. Accordingly, this review provides an updated and interdisciplinary overview of empirical and theoretical knowledge.

Methods: In this narrative review, we summarize current knowledge regarding CSBD and PPU, with contributions from diverse experts across multiple disciplines (e.g., psychology, psychiatry, sexology, addiction science, neuroscience). We provide research and clinical perspectives to ensure a comprehensive and balanced discussion.

Results: We extensively summarize eleven key areas, namely historical context, conceptualization and symptomatology, assessment and measurement, epidemiology, co-occurring disorders, etiology, potential negative consequences, intervention, treatment, and policy considerations. Additionally, we consider underrepresented populations and contexts, including adolescents, LGBTQ+ (i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and other diverse identities) individuals, women, and cultural factors. The review concludes with a critical discussion of prevailing controversies, methodological challenges, and key directions for future research.

Discussion and conclusions: By providing a comprehensive and integrative overview, this work aims to advance scientific discourse, promote interdisciplinary collaborations, inform clinical practice, and support public health initiatives in the field of CSBD and PPU.

The Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines (LRGG) represent a milestone in translating empirical evidence on gambling-related harm into public health guidance. As they are implemented internationally, contextual adaptation is essential to ensure relevance and effectiveness. This commentary discusses Finland's adaptation, which adjusted the expenditure threshold from 1% of household gross income to 2% of personal net income. Drawing on Finnish research, we argue this modification will enhance acceptability and adoption among people who gamble while adhering to the strong evidence base underlying the original Canadian LRGGs. The Finnish experience highlights how the LRGGs can be adapted without undermining their scientific foundation.

This commentary builds on Giardina et al.'s (2021, 2024) conceptualization of escapism and escape in the C-DOG model, highlighting unresolved definitional ambiguities. We argue that the distinction between these constructs cannot rely solely on pre-game intentions (expectation to return vs. remain) due to potential cognitive biases and self-deception, particularly among players with Gaming Disorder (GD). Drawing on goal systems theory and research on maladaptive gaming-related beliefs, we propose that the post-game outcome, successful return vs. persistent difficulty disengaging, offers a more reliable criterion. This perspective reframes escapism and escape as goal-driven processes shaped by experiential avoidance and motivational rigidity.

Background: Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are theorised to exhibit addictive properties within the framework of the Food Addiction (FA) model, attributable to their high palatability, sugars, salt, saturated/trans fats, and caloric density.

Aims: To evaluate the association between UPFs consumption and FA presence, and to examine whether reducing UPFs intake after one year of intervention is associated to decreased FA scores.

Methods: The sample included 429 Mediterranean older adults with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome from the PREDIMED-Plus-Cognition sub-study. FA presence was evaluated with the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0, and the nutritional information through validated food frequency questionnaires. UPFs was categorised according to the NOVA system and divided into consumption tertiles. Data were analysed using repeated measures ANOVA, structural equation modelling, and logistic regression to compare FA changes across tertiles of UPF reduction after one-year follow-up.

Results: Baseline YFAS categorisation into three levels (positive-probable-negative) showed significant differences between the second and third tertile of UPFs consumption, with the highest tertile of consumption having greater likelihood of worse FA status. After one year, the likelihood of change in the FA levels was higher only for individuals within the highest decreases in the UPFs consumption (OR = 1.67, p = 0.040).

Discussion and conclusions: These findings indicate that a reduction in the consumption of UPFs may contribute to the improvement of FA symptoms, providing novel insights into the association between UPFs and the presence of FA. Future research should focus on populations with higher UPFs consumption and investigating the long-term effects of dietary quality on FA symptoms.

Background and aims: The Assessment of Criteria for Specific Internet-use Disorders (ACSID-11; Müller et al. 2022) offers a promising instrument to screen addictive disorders in population-wide surveys based on ICD-11 criteria. We evaluated this scale in the Swiss context and propose the shorter Problematic Behaviour Scale (PBS-5).

Methods: We included ACSID-11 in the Swiss survey "Health and Lifestyle" (SHL) 2023 (n = 5,995) in German, French and Italian for social media use, shopping, gaming, gambling, and pornography use. We assessed psychometric characteristics of PBS-5. Classification quality and cut-off values of PBS-5 for prevalences of problematic behaviour were determined by multiple Receiver Operator Characteristic regressions of the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) on PBS-5. Including PBS-5 and PHQ-4 in the SHL 2025 (n = 5,818) allowed to investigate trends and the intertemporal stability of the cut-off values.

Results: PBS-5 showed a one-dimensional factorial structure, and excellent internal consistency. External validity and classification quality was limited. Prevalence rates of problematic behaviours as a percentage of regular users in Switzerland in 2025 were: social media use: 27.7%, shopping: 13.6%, gaming: 21.0%, gambling: 2.5%, pornography use: 22.2%. Since 2023, these prevalences have increased except for gambling. Problematic social media use peaked among young women and gaming among young men. Problematic gaming, and pornography use were more frequent among men. Problematic shopping was observed more frequently among subjects with low education.

Discussion and conclusions: PBS-5 is a promising brief screening tool for addictive behaviours. Further validation is recommended.

Background and aims: Steroid hormones, such as testosterone and cortisol, may play a role in addictive behaviors, such as problematic pornography use (PPU). According to the dual-hormone hypothesis, their effects are probably interactive and may influence specific behavioral tendencies, like risk taking and impulsivity, which may, in turn, contribute to PPU. To examine these relationships, the present research utilizes endocrine hair analyses, providing a robust index of long-term hormone secretion.

Methods: The sample (N = 252) was part of a multi-center study (FOR2974), including male participants who consume pornography at least occasionally. Testosterone and cortisol concentrations were determined from a proximal 3 cm hair sample via Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry. Additionally, decision-making paradigms (i.e., Delay-Discounting Task, Game of Dice Task) and questionnaires assessing impulsivity and symptoms of PPU were used.

Results: Testosterone was positively related to PPU, but showed no significant associations with impulsivity and risk taking in a moderated mediation model. Furthermore, cortisol and testosterone interacted with a significant positive effect of testosterone on PPU severity for participants with low cortisol levels, and a non-significant effect in case of high cortisol levels.

Discussion and conclusion: This study delivers novel evidence for an association between basal testosterone and cortisol levels in PPU for males. However, the assumed association between hormonal levels, risk taking and impulsivity could not be supported.

Background and aims: Gaming may function as maladaptive coping strategy in youth with internet gaming disorder (IGD). Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) enables real-time monitoring of emotions and behavior. This study investigates the temporal dynamics of stress, negative emotions, craving and gaming behavior applying EMA to male youth with IGD during periods of varying gaming intensity and compared to healthy controls (HC).

Methods: 29 males diagnosed with IGD, aged 15-25 years, and 26 matched HC were included. Participants underwent diagnostic assessment followed by one week of EMA via smartphone. The group with IGD continued EMA for two additional weeks: one week of unrestricted gaming and one week of restricted gaming. Data on gaming time, stress, negative emotions and craving were collected twice-daily on weekdays and up to sixteen times daily on weekends.

Results: Participants with IGD exhibited significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, stress, gaming time and craving compared to HC. While gaming time varied between unrestricted and restricted gaming conditions, craving, stress and negative emotions remained stable. In male youth with IGD, gaming was followed by a short-term reduction of stress and negative emotions. However, increased stress and negative emotions were subsequently followed by decreased gaming time.

Discussion and conclusions: This study indicates a complex, bidirectional relationship between gaming, stress and negative emotions. Although gaming provides short-term emotional relief, the association with elevated levels of depression, anxiety and chronic stress highlights its role as maladaptive coping strategy. Conversely, negative emotions and stress do not necessarily seem to increase gaming time.

Background: The field of behavioral addictions (BA) research addresses activity domains such as excessive gaming, gambling, and other online behaviors that influence public health policies. A failure to embrace open science practices may lead to concerns about the trustworthiness and reliability of its research outputs. This study explored the current use of open science practices among BA researchers, focusing on the adoption, underlying motivations, concerns, and support needs across seven specific open science practices.

Methods: We distributed an exploratory survey through professional networks, conferences, and social media and received 83 eligible responses (early career researcher [ECRs]: N = 41). The survey covered six domains: general use, frequency, importance, engagement, concerns, and support needs related to open science practices.

Results: Most respondents reported positive attitudes toward open science, with preregistration (75% of total N) and data sharing (65% of total N) as the most commonly used practices. Descriptively, ECRs placed greater importance on these practices than their established counterparts, suggesting a potential generational shift. ECRs primarily reported concerns about insufficient knowledge and fear of errors, while established researchers emphasized workload and a lack of incentives. Both groups highlighted the need for increased time, resources, institutional support, and training.

Discussion: Although our findings are descriptive and limited by self-selection and sample bias, they offer initial insights into how open science is perceived and practised in the field. Sustained progress requires coordinated action from individuals, institutions, and professional societies in terms of knowledge transfer and incentives to ensure inclusive and equitable adoption of open science practices.

This paper introduces entrapment as a socio-cognitive pathway of gaming persistence that complements the gratification-compensation sequence in the I-PACE framework. Drawing on escalation-of-commitment theory, identity maintenance, sunk-cost reasoning, and social obligations, we argue that contemporary game architectures, especially gacha systems, transform cumulative investments of time, money, and identity into barriers against disengagement. Empirical signals, including sunk-cost effects, gaming-contingent self-worth, loss aversion, and amotivation, indicate that after initial gratification, persistence may become decoupled from enjoyment and remain both measurable and clinically relevant. Entrapment is not a universal endpoint but an optional trajectory, clarifying why some players continue "without joy" and underscoring implications for assessment, intervention, and responsible design.