Journal of Behavioral Addictions最新文献

Background and aims: With the popularization of electronic sports (esports), an emerging type of gambling activity, esports betting, has risen. Esports gamblers are vulnerable to Gambling Disorder (GD), but we lack knowledge about their cognitive predictors of GD. Desire thinking about gambling (DTG) is found as a risk factor for GD in general gamblers, but little is known about its role in esports gamblers and its bidirectional relationship with GD. This study aimed to examine the differences in DTG between esports gamblers and their non-esports counterparts, as well as the bidirectionality between DTG and GD among gamblers.

Methods: We conducted a two-wave, longitudinal online study with a 6-month interval. Data from 1,063 lifetime gamblers (50.0% female, Mage = 29.11 years, SD = 7.78), of whom 50.5% were esports gamblers, was collected. At follow-up, 582 of the participants completed the same survey.

Results: Esports gamblers reported higher levels of DTG and GD at both time points. The bidirectionality between DTG and GD was noted. Sub-group analysis identified a more prominent prediction of imaginal prefiguration on GD among esports gamblers.

Discussion and conclusions: Our findings suggest a higher risk of GD among esports gamblers, with DTG forming a reciprocal loop with such risk. Findings highlight the adverse impact of imaginal prefiguration on GD, especially in esports gamblers. Based on these findings, regulators should consider being more vigilant in the early screening of GD in esports gamblers. Appropriate preventative strategies (e.g., promoting responsible gambling) and psychological interventions (e.g., Metacognitive Therapy) may help reduce gambling-related harms among esports gamblers.

Background and aims: Recent models on the development of behavioral addictions stress the transfer from goal-directed behavior to stimulus-response habits. Administering a Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) paradigm to individuals with risky or non-problematic gaming, we recently reported that shopping-related cues increase instrumental behavior for a shopping-related reward (i.e. shopping voucher) while gaming-related stimuli triggered instrumental behavior for the gaming-reward (i.e. gaming voucher). This was observed even after devaluation of the gaming-reward. We now investigated the predictive value of the 'Shopping-PIT'- and the 'Gaming-PIT'-effects regarding gaming disorder symptoms.

Methods: Data on symptom severity of gaming disorder six months after the baseline assessment were available for 48 individuals with risky gaming and 46 individuals with non-problematic gaming. Hierarchical regression analyses with stepwise inclusion of control variables, the 'Shopping-PIT'-effect as indicator of responding for a general reward after devaluation of the gaming reward and 'The Gaming-PIT'-effect after devaluation of the gaming reward as indicator of habitual responding as well as their interaction effects with symptom severity was calculated.

Results: Higher gaming disorder symptoms at the six-month follow-up assessment were predicted by symptom severity at baseline and the interaction of the 'Shopping-PIT'-effect with symptom severity at baseline. The 'Gaming-PIT'-effect after devaluation did not predict symptom severity.

Discussion and conclusions: The finding that cue-triggered responding for a general reward contributes to future symptom severity in individuals with higher symptom severity at baseline suggests a cascade model with higher symptom severity leading to stronger cue-triggered reward-related responding which in turn leads to higher symptom severity.

Background and aims: The co-occurrence of behavioral addictions (BAs) and substance use disorders (SUDs) or other mental health problems (MHPs) is well documented. However, there is limited evidence on associations between changes in the severity of BAs, SUDs, and MHPs, or their directions of influence or causation.

Methods: A non-self-selecting sample of 5,611 young Swiss men (mean age 25.5 at baseline and 28.3 at follow-up) completed a self-reporting questionnaire on various BAs (gambling, gaming, internet, internet pornography, smartphone, work), SUDs (alcohol, cannabis) and MHPs (major depressive disorder, ADHD, borderline personality disorder, social anxiety disorder). Latent change score models were used to evaluate pairwise, bidirectional associations in symptom severity among different BAs, and between BAs and SUDs or MHPs.

Results: Overall, changes in each BA's symptom severity were significantly and positively correlated with changes in the symptom severity of other BAs, alcohol use disorder, and MHPs; for cannabis use disorder, such correlations were only found with gaming and work. Significant bidirectional cross-lagged associations were found between the severity of BAs and MHPs, and between the severity of internet and smartphone addiction and other BAs. For SUDs, cross-lagged pathways were often not significant (e.g., with gambling or pornography) or even negative (between cannabis use disorder and work).

Discussion and conclusions: This study provides strong evidence that BAs and MHPs mutually reinforce each other over time. While this interplay can develop and maintain dysfunction, it may also enable positive change, highlighting the need for a comprehensive theoretical framework and integrated intervention approaches.

Government policies have been proposed to mitigate excessive online gaming among adolescents, yet empirical evaluations of their effectiveness remain limited. Following China's 2021 online gaming policy, the strictest such regulation to date, we examined the compliance rate and alternative behaviors among heavy adolescent gamers. Several methodological concerns have been raised, including the omission of the 2019 policy, the narrow focus on heavy gamers, and ambiguities in key definitions. In this response, we address these concerns by clarifying the policy's independence, expanding the analysis to all adolescent participants, and incorporating pre- and post-policy gaming time as an additional measure of policy impact. Results from a broader sample (N = 2,715, mean age = 10.84) revealed a high compliance rate (93.6%) and a significant decrease in daily gaming time following the policy (60.12 vs. 43.52 min per day, p < 0.001). This reported gaming time may include offline or single-player gameplay. These findings support the conclusion that the 2021 policy significantly reduced adolescents' gaming time and achieved high compliance rates, though self-reported data may include offline gameplay and that historical policy context should be acknowledged in interpretation. Moreover, its longer-term effects on psychological well-being and physical health warrant further investigation.

Background and aims: Previous studies have reported an association between dissociative experiences (e.g., absorption, depersonalization) and Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU), but the directionality of these relationships remains unclear. Moreover, there is a dearth of research on the link between bodily dissociation and PSMU, despite the widespread practice of editing and manipulating pictures of oneself, which requires users to view themselves from a third-person perspective. The present study aimed to examine the directionality of the relationship between various dissociative-related experiences and PSMU through a longitudinal study.

Method: A total of 216 participants (79.20% female; Mage = 20.46 ± 2.26, range = 18-33), completed a survey twice, with a 4-month interval. A cross-lagged panel analysis within a Structural Equation Modeling framework was employed.

Results: PSMU severity at T0 predicted Bodily dissociation (β = 0.15, p = 0.005) and Absorption and imaginative involvement (β = 0.13, p = 0.026) at T1. No other cross-lagged effects were detected.

Discussion and conclusions: Excessive involvement in social media activity, along with its emphasis on appearance, may contribute to increased dissociative experiences, including a weakened emotional connection with one's own body and reduced awareness of bodily sensations.

Background and aims: Caffeine is the most commonly used substance during gaming sessions. Despite health guidelines to avoid caffeine before adulthood, many adolescents use caffeine to compensate for lost sleep or prolong wakefulness to enhance gaming performance. The relationship between gaming and sleep is well-established, but the role of caffeine has been under-explored. This study investigated the potential mediating effect of caffeine use on the relationship between gaming duration/problems and sleep duration/difficulties in young adolescents.

Methods: The Years 2, 3, and 4 follow-up data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study were analyzed (N = 2,749, Mage = 11.9 at Year 2). Data from questionnaires on daily gaming duration and problematic gaming (Year 2), weekly caffeine use (Year 3), and daily sleep duration and sleep difficulties (Year 4) were examined. Analyses were conducted using an R package for causal mediation analysis.

Results: Caffeine use partially mediated the positive relationship between gaming hours/problems and sleep difficulties and the negative relationship between gaming hours/problems and sleep duration.

Conclusion: The mediating effect of caffeine use was small but statistically significant in the relationship between gaming duration/problems and sleep duration/difficulties in young adolescents. Given the widespread use of caffeine among adolescents who game and the potential impact of modifying consumption during development, caffeine use could potentially be targeted to reduce sleep-related harm and other associated health issues.

Background and aims: Digital addiction among youth, characterized by excessive and compulsive use of digital devices such as smartphones, computers, and social media platforms, has become a global concern. The present study aimed to investigate the association between digital addiction subtypes in youth and various health outcomes using "digital addiction" as an umbrella term.

Methods: We comprehensively reviewed articles reporting health outcomes related to digital addiction in youth from the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, PubMed, and Web of Science databases using a targeted search strategy and assessed them using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Results: Youth with digital addiction were more likely to be overweight or obese (OR: 1.25, 95%CI: 1.03-1.48), reporting poor self-rated health (OR: 1.75, 95%CI: 1.42-2.08), and experience sleep problems such as insomnia (OR: 1.46, 95%CI: 1.33-1.59) and poor sleep quality (OR: 1.50, 95%CI: 1.37-1.64). These individuals also demonstrated higher odds of mental health concerns, including suicidal tendencies (OR: 2.63, 95%CI: 2.36-2.90), symptoms of depression (OR: 1.76, 95%CI: 1.68-1.83), stress (OR: 2.15, 95%CI: 1.79-2.52), and anxiety (OR: 2.14, 95%CI: 1.99-2.28). Furthermore, they were more prone to engage in smoking (OR: 1.55, 95%CI: 1.41-1.68), problematic alcohol consumption (OR: 1.47, 95%CI: 1.33-1.60), and drug use (OR: 1.94, 95%CI: 1.44-2.44).

Conclusions: The present findings suggest that digital addiction among youth has a significant and wide range of detrimental health outcomes, including physical, mental, and behavioral issues.

Developmental onset has been linked to addictive problems and severity, including for behavioral addictions like gambling disorder. Individual differences associated with race have been linked to addictive behaviors and disorders in complex manners. Race is understood as a multidimensional construct encompassing biological and social influences. This raises questions about how race should be conceptualized and modeled in brain-behavior relationship studies relevant to addictive behaviors and disorders. Here, we consider two recent publications involving early initiation of substance use (EISU). They derive potentially different conclusions, perhaps in part relating to how race and ethnicity were considered in analyses. Implications for behavioral addictions are explored.

Background and aim: Depression is characterized by feeling sad, empty, hopeless, and a markedly diminished interest or pleasure in almost all daily activities. However, men often exhibit externalizing depression symptoms, such as abusing alcohol or drugs, or displaying irritability or anger, which align with how men are expected to be and behave, thus conforming to masculinity ideologies. The present study investigates whether problematic pornography use (PPU), which is characterized by poor impulse control and distressing or problematic perceptions of one's pornography consumption, may function as an externalizing depression symptom.

Methods: We assessed depression, externalizing symptoms, conformity to masculinity ideologies, and PPU among 265 cisgender men (age: M = 31.8, SD = 7.0; 90.2% identified as heterosexual, 9.8% as sexual minority) living in German-speaking countries of Europe. A manifest mediation path model showed that more depressive symptoms (predictor) were associated with stronger conformity to masculinity ideologies (mediator), which in turn was linked to both more externalizing symptoms (Outcome 1) and increased PPU (Outcome 2).

Results: The correlation between conformity to masculinity ideologies and externalizing symptoms was not significant. The two indirect paths from depressive symptoms to the two outcomes through conformity to masculinity ideologies did not differ significantly in strength.

Discussion and conclusions: These findings suggest that PPU may serve a similar psychological function as other externalizing symptoms by allowing men to mask depressive symptoms through behaviors that align with masculinity ideologies. Future interventions should examine whether screening for PPU can help identify men experiencing mental health issues and employing maladaptive coping strategies.

Background and aims: This scoping review aims to identify current forms of interventions for Problematic Usage of the Internet (PUI) to inform more effective intervention and policy-making initiatives grounded in robust empirical evidence.

Methods: The search was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO databases until October 12, 2024. Empirical research presenting data on interventions for PUI and written in English was included without restrictions of age groups, types of interventions, or types of PUI.

Results: Five main forms of interventions for PUI were identified in the 77 studies included in the review, namely, pharmacotherapy, transcranial direct current stimulation, physical exercise, electroacupuncture, and psychotherapy or educational programs. Most studies were conducted in Asian and Middle-Eastern countries, and various validated instruments were used to assess PUI. Psychotherapy and education were the most common interventions in research. Apart from time spent online, positive results of the various interventions were reported on the respective PUI scales in most studies. However, studies with rigorous designs showed non-significant changes, suggesting that methodological differences may influence the reported outcomes.

Discussion and conclusions: The different interventions reflect the multidimensional nature and complexity of PUI treatment and prevention strategies. Although current interventions show potential, more robust and rigorous study designs are necessary to draw definite conclusions. Further investigation is needed to understand the influence of comorbidities and the impact of individuals actively seeking help on treatment outcomes. Additionally, more substantial evidence is required to evaluate the effectiveness of PUI prevention efforts, particularly considering varying levels of PUI severity.