Internet gaming disorder (IGD) represents a growing public health concern, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Although resilience has been proposed as a protective factor against addictive behaviours more broadly, no quantitative synthesis has yet specifically examined its relationship with IGD. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the magnitude and direction of the association between IGD and resilience, as well as to explore potential moderating variables. Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search was conducted in February 2026 across PsycINFO, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science Core Collection. Ultimately, 14 studies (15 independent samples) with a total of 79,760 participants were included. Effect sizes were calculated based on Pearson’s correlations transformed into Fisher’s Z scores through the application of a random-effects model. The results revealed a statistically significant, moderately negative correlation between resilience and IGD (r = − .24, 95
Psychoactive substance use is associated with cognitive and social impairments, including deficits in Theory of Mind (ToM), a key ability for understanding mental states and regulating social interactions. Although consistent evidence indicates ToM deficits among alcohol users, it remains uncertain whether such impairments extend to other substances. This study aimed to examine ToM abilities in psychoactive substance users through a systematic review and meta-analysis and to determine potential differences across substance classes. The Embase, Scopus, PsycINFO, Web of Science, PubMed, PsycNet, LILACS, and SciELO databases were searched following PRISMA guidelines. Observational and experimental studies involving adults that compared ToM performance between psychoactive substance users and controls were included. Meta-analyses were conducted using Jamovi software (DerSimonian-Laird method), with subgroup analyses by substance class. Thirty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria, and 30 (35 distinct samples) provided data for meta-analysis. Overall, psychoactive substance users showed significantly poorer ToM performance than controls (SMD = -0.80; 95
Physical exercise, when performed excessively and dysfunctionally, can develop into a behavioral addiction, giving rise to exercise addiction (EA). This study was aimed at integrating two perspectives within the field of EA, considering, on the one hand, a personal trait usually associated with addictions—i.e., impulsivity—and, on the other hand, attitudes and behaviors related to body image. A total of 418 individuals (54
Adolescent substance use is a significant public health concern. Adolescents’ depression and parent-youth conflict are risk factors for adolescents’ lifetime substance use, while parent-youth attachment protects adolescents against these risks. However, the unique contributions of paternal and maternal factors are poorly understood. This study investigated the predictors of adolescents’ individual factors and parent-youth relationship factors on youth substance use, incorporating paternal and maternal factors. Data were analyzed from 2943 14–15-year-old Scottish adolescents and their parents. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the relationship between predictors (adolescents’ depression, parent-youth conflict, child-perceived parent–child attachment) and adolescents’ lifetime substance use. Results indicated that elevated depression risk and higher mother-youth conflict were related to a higher likelihood of adolescents’ substance use, while better mother-youth attachment security was associated with a lower likelihood. Father-youth conflict was associated with increased likelihood of smoking, alcohol use and other drug use but not for vaping, drunkenness and cannabis use, suggesting that fathers and mothers might play different roles in adolescents’ development. This study indicates that youth depression risk, parent-youth conflict and parent-youth attachment predict adolescent substance use, but maternal and paternal factors have differing effects on risk. Attending to both individual and parental factors may benefit early identification, prevention and interventions of substance use at-risk groups.
Craving is central to substance use initiation, maintenance, and relapse; yet, it is often treated as a homogeneous construct, obscuring latent heterogeneity among patients with adolescent-onset new psychoactive substance use disorder. This study aimed to identify latent craving profiles and examine the potential utility of integrating psychosocial factors and machine learning models for exploratory risk stratification and subgroup differentiation. In this multicenter cross-sectional study integrating LPA and exploratory machine learning analyses, 1008 participants in Tianjin, China, were assessed. Latent profile analysis was conducted using three craving dimensions: craving, interference, and resistance. Logistic regression, random forest, and XGBoost models were applied to distinguish subgroup membership. Performance was evaluated by macro-AUC, accuracy, and Macro-F1. SHAP was used to interpret feature contributions. Three profiles were identified: functionally impaired (6.0
Terror Management and Anxiety Buffer Disruption Theories suggest that socio-cultural psychological resources, such as self-esteem, attachment security, meaning in life, and group identity, can buffer against death-related anxiety and related psychological problems, by providing people a sense of symbolic immortality. However, no study has tested if symbolic immortality is associated with mental health and problematic substance use or addictive behaviors. Using a large sample of Israelis (N = 2,912), we found that symbolic immortality, measured as the belief that one would be remembered by others after death, was positively associated with death anxiety buffers (e.g., self-esteem, low attachment anxiety, importance of national identity, meaning in life) and negatively associated with mental health problems (anxiety, depression, PTSD, emotion regulation problems, sleep disturbances), problematic substance use (cannabis, alcohol, prescription drugs), and behavioral addictions (gambling, gaming, social media, internet use, pornography, sexual behaviors). These findings highlight the relevance of symbolic immortality, terror management, and existential psychology to understanding psychopathology and addiction.
Chronic and compounding exposure to caregiver intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with mental health concerns and substance use among youth (aged 12–18). The longitudinal associations, however, are not well known. Drawing from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) dataset, we used multidimensional growth mixture models and latent transition analyses to examine the association of IPV exposure (at ages 12, 14, 16) on mental health and substance use outcomes (at age 18) among a US sample of child welfare system-involved youth (N = 911). Four classes of IPV exposure and three classes, each of mental health and substance use outcomes were identified. Youth with high IPV exposure were more likely to have high mental health concerns and patterns of polysubstance use (i.e., use of multiple substances) by age 18. This study highlights the need for Child Welfare Systems (CWS) to mitigate risks through early identification of IPV exposure and its consequences. Implications and future research directions are discussed.
Problematic ChatGPT use (PCU) may depend less on frequency than on the psychosocial context in which engagement occurs. This study identified psychosocial profiles among 1051 adult ChatGPT users in Türkiye using latent profile analysis. Analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics 27 and R via RStudio, with profile estimation implemented using the mclust package. Seven indicators were included: problematic ChatGPT use, loneliness, intolerance of uncertainty, psychological flexibility, self-control, attitudes toward artificial intelligence, and perceived social support. Four profiles emerged: Lower PCU–Higher Resources, AI-Positive–Higher Resources, Lower PCU–Lower Resources, and Highest PCU–Lower Resources. The profiles differentiated higher-resource configurations varying in AI orientation from lower-resource configurations with contrasting PCU tendencies. Auxiliary analyses using an empirical BCH three-step approach to account for classification uncertainty showed profile differences in emotion-regulation strategies and all Big Five traits. Age, education, socioeconomic status, marital status, employment status, and ChatGPT use frequency differed across profiles, whereas gender did not. PCU was interpreted as self-reported dysregulation rather than a clinical diagnosis or independently verified functional impairment. Findings suggest that problematic ChatGPT use should be understood through broader psychosocial configurations rather than frequency alone. Future research should examine whether these profiles replicate across cultural contexts and population groups, particularly among adolescents and university students, and use longitudinal designs incorporating objective usage metrics and indicators of functional impairment to assess profile stability, transitions, and temporal ordering.
Problematic gaming in adolescents has been an increasing concern in society. This study examined the roles of emotion-related (supportive and non-supportive responses to children’s negative emotions) and academic-related (parental involvement in education) parenting behaviors in adolescent problematic gaming and the possible mediators. We analyzed data from 4270 Chinese parent-adolescent dyads. Adolescents had an average age of 14.60 years (SD = 1.69; 69.86
Existing perspectives and empirical findings regarding the association between parental internet monitoring and problematic internet use remain inconsistent. To clarify the overall association between the two variables and explain the possible sources of discrepancies in previous research findings, the present study conducted a meta-analysis of 28 eligible studies selected from nine databases, including 39 effect sizes and 75,027 participants. The results showed that parental internet monitoring was significantly but very weakly positively associated with PIU (r = 0.06; 95
Problematic internet use is often described as a longitudinal cascade in which personality-linked risk heightens digital overload and then contributes to later dysregulated use. We tested this account in a three-wave panel of 2455 Chinese undergraduates by comparing a conventional cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) with a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM). The CLPM reproduced the expected cascade: dark triad traits predicted later overload and problematic internet use, overload predicted later problematic internet use, and social capital showed a protective lagged association. However, the better-fitting RI-CLPM showed that most associations reflected stable differences between students rather than repeated within-person carryover. Only a small within-person path from dark triad traits to later overload remained under the stationary specification, and an unconstrained-lag sensitivity analysis did not recover a stable indirect pathway. The findings are more consistent with durable vulnerability profiles than with a recurring semester-level cascade.
Problematic gaming refers to an excessive pattern of video game use characterized by difficulties in self-regulation and interpersonal functioning. According to attachment theory, insecure attachment may lead individuals to engage in gaming as a coping strategy for emotional distress and unmet relational needs. Although both emotion dysregulation and dissociative experiences have been linked to insecure adult attachment and problematic gaming, the relationships between each of these variables have not yet been tested. This study aimed to investigate whether emotion dysregulation and dissociative experiences mediate the association between insecure adult attachment and problematic gaming among young adult gamers. A total of 692 Italian young adults (68.64
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders caused by alcohol exposure during pregnancy. FASD is associated with various neurocognitive disorders over the entire lifespan. Comorbid mental health disorders seem to be highly prevalent. Suicide attempts and substance use as well as substance use disorders are also associated with FASD in adults. However, previous studies report small or very selective samples. Little is known about gender differences in larger samples of adults with FASD. Structured clinical interviews based on DSM-5 diagnostic criteria were administered for the diagnosis of mental health disorders, suicidality, and substance use including substance-related disorders. Data was analyzed separately for men and women to identify gender differences. The sample consisted of 238 adults (51.3
Digital technologies, including smartphones, social media, and internet access, have influenced adolescent health-risk behaviours. Yet, evidence relating multidimensional digital exposure with substance use in low-and middle-income countries remains limited. The study examined the association between digital exposure and current substance use among adolescents in India and assessed whether parental monitoring modifies this relationship. Baseline data were analysed from a multicentric school-based study conducted across six geographically diverse regions of India. A total of 6,168 adolescents aged 10–19 years were selected using a multistage cluster sampling method. Current substance use within the past three months was assessed using the WHO-ASSIST tool. Digital exposure was measured using a composite index of social media use, exposure to substance-related content, late-night device use, and perceived peer pressure from digital platforms. Multivariable logistic regression models estimated adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95
People who use drugs (PWUDs) experience high levels of psychological distress, often intensified by stigma. This study examined social pathways linking perceived stigma to psychological distress and assessed whether these relationships differed by history of non-fatal overdose. Using data from the Regional Health Cohort of 957 PWUDs in the US Midwest, we conducted path analysis in the full sample, followed by multigroup path analysis to assess whether these associations differed by overdose history. In the full sample, stigma, measured as perceived devaluation, was significantly associated with greater psychological distress, with approximately 18
Emotional dependence on a partner has been found to be associated with problematic use of the internet, smartphones, and videogames. However, it has not been studied in relation to emotional dependence on friends. The present study aimed to (i) explore whether emotional dependence towards friends and partners accounts for variance in problematic internet use, problematic smartphone use, and problematic videogame playing, and (ii) examine which type of emotional dependence exhibits a stronger association with these behaviors among adolescents. The sample comprised 435 Spanish high school students aged 12–19 years (52.6
Insecure attachment, difficulties in emotion regulation, and alexithymia have been independently linked to both suicidal behavior and substance use disorders. However, their joint contribution as intersecting, transdiagnostic mechanisms in comorbid clinical presentations remains insufficiently explored. Current study examined the associations of attachment insecurity, emotion regulation problems, and alexithymia across individuals with suicidal behavior, substance use disorder, their comorbidities, and healthy controls. A total of 425 participants were recruited from hospital-based suicide units, addiction treatment centers, and community settings. Participants were categorized into four groups: individuals with comorbid suicidal behavior and substance use disorder (n = 100), suicidal behavior (n = 123), substance use disorder (n = 97), and healthy controls (n = 105). Clinical diagnoses were confirmed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 – Clinician Version (SCID-5-CV). Suicidal behavior was assessed using the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), and participants completed validated measures of attachment [Experiences in Close Relationships–Revised (ECR-R]], emotion regulation [Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS]], and alexithymia [The Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20)]. Multivariate analysis of covariance and hierarchical regression analyses were performed. All clinical groups displayed higher attachment anxiety and avoidance, more severe emotion regulation difficulties, and elevated alexithymia compared with control. The comorbid group showed the greatest impairments across all psychological domains. Emotion regulation difficulties were strongly associated with both attachment insecurity and alexithymic traits, suggesting an interconnected vulnerability profile. Attachment disturbances, emotional dysregulation, and alexithymia appear to form a shared vulnerability network underlying suicidal behavior and substance use disorders, with the greatest impairment in comorbid cases. The findings highlight the importance of interventions that enhance emotional awareness and regulatory capacity as transdiagnostic targets for prevention and treatment.
This study examined 10-year trends (2010–2019) in major depressive episode (MDE), substance use disorder (SUD), and their co-occurrence among U.S. adolescents, and identified socio-ecological protective factors. Analyzing National Survey on Drug Use and Health data (N = 154,656), we employed joinpoint and multinomial logistic regression. Results revealed divergent trends: SUD alone rates declined (APC = − 10.0, p < .001), while MDE alone increased significantly (APC = 11.6 for 2010–2015; 5.8 for 2015–2019, p < .01). Critically, co-occurring MDE and SUD exhibited a significant upward inflection from 2016 to 2019 (APC = 9.4, p = .01). Parental monitoring, parental confidant, and religious salience were associated with decreased risks across all psychiatric phenotypes. Relative importance rankings of protective variables revealed that parental monitoring and parental confidant were the strongest protective factors across all outcomes, followed by religious salience and peer religiosity. Notably, involvement in school-based prevention education and problem-solving groups failed to mitigate the risk for co-occurring conditions. Findings necessitate shifting from siloed drug education to integrated, family-centered models that address the complex intersection of depression and substance use.
Although parental bonding is a significant factor in problematic Internet use among adolescents, little is known about how it affects Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU). This study examines the influence of parental care on PSMU in a sample of 440 adolescents, proposing self-esteem and negative affect as mediators. Findings indicate that parental care is not directly related to PSMU; rather, it has an indirect effect on PSMU through these psychological factors. Both self-esteem and negative affect independently and sequentially mediate the relationship. The study highlights that low parental care contributes to PSMU via decreased self-esteem and increased negative emotions. Preventive efforts should focus on enhancing self-esteem and emotional regulation, as PSMU may function as a maladaptive coping strategy.
This study compared problematic smartphone use (PSU) and psychosocial risks between out-of-school youth (OSY) and in-school adolescents. A cross-sectional survey of 1485 Korean adolescents (including 198 OSY) assessed PSU, perceived stress, and mental health symptoms in a Korean urban community. Participants completed measures of smartphone overdependence (K-SAS), perceived stress (PSS-10), substance use and drug-related awareness, emotion regulation, and Mind EASY mental health screening. Results indicated that OSY had a higher PSU prevalence (43.9
