Effect of the mobile phone-related background on inhibitory control of problematic mobile phone use: An event-related potentials study

Similarities and differences in core symptoms of problematic smartphone use among Chinese students enrolled in grades 4 to 9: A large national cross-sectional study

Children and adolescents are highly susceptible to problematic smartphone usage. We employed network analysis to explore the similarities and differences in the core symptoms of problematic smartphone use across grades 4-9, using a large nationwide sample. This study included 8552 children and adolescents (Mage = 12.98, SD=1.51) who met the critical value for problematic smartphone use. The results showed that the core symptoms of problematic smartphone use exhibit both similarities and differences between grades 4 and 9. 'Withdrawal symptoms' and 'preoccupation symptoms' were the stable core symptoms of problematic smartphone use across grades 4 to 9, suggesting that problematic smartphone use begin to appear from earlier grades, such as grade 4. 'Feel impatient and fretful', 'never give up' and 'always thinking about' were the core symptoms in grades 4 and 5. 'Longer than I had intended' and 'hard to concentrate' emerged as additional core symptoms in grade 6, with the intensity indicators peaking in grades 8 and 9, suggesting that the issue of problematic smartphone use among Chinese children and adolescents has become intensified and intricate. Symptoms of problematic smartphone use vary across grades and exhibit both continuity and stage specificity. Consequently, to address this issue, the formulation of intervention measures should comprehensively consider both the grade levels and symptoms.

The relationship between autistic traits and problematic smartphone use in adolescents: The serial mediating role of anxiety and executive dysfunction

BACKGROUND

Based on the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model, this study aimed to explore the relationship between autistic traits and problematic smartphone use (PSU) among Chinese adolescents and to examine the serial mediation effect of anxiety and executive dysfunction in the association between autistic traits and PSU.

METHODS

The Autism-Spectrum Quotient, Smartphone Addiction Scale, the trait version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Dysexecutive Questionnaire were administered to a sample comprising 412 senior high school students (average age = 17.05 years, SD = 0.65). Structural equation models were utilized to explore the simple and serial mediating role of anxiety and executive dysfunction played in the association between autistic traits and PSU.

RESULTS

This study found that social rather than non-social autistic traits were positively associated with anxiety, executive dysfunction, and PSU. Furthermore, after controlling for gender, anxiety and executive dysfunction acted as sequential mediators in the connection between social autistic trait and PSU. However, non-social autistic trait did not predict anxiety, executive dysfunction, or PSU.

CONCLUSION

This study supports the I-PACE model and deepens understanding of PSU formation. Furthermore, the findings underscore the importance of addressing social challenges faced by adolescents with high autistic traits, providing a viable potential intervention pathway to promote healthy smartphone use in this population.

Weak and interfered self-control fails to block problematic mobile phone use: The role of craving and desire thinking

Problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) has become a worldwide phenomenon with negative impacts on adolescents' daily lives. While self-control has been shown to be related to PMPU, little is known about the underlying mechanisms of this association. Based on the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution model and the strength model of self-control, the current study aims to examine the association between self-control and PMPU, to identify the indirect role of craving, and to determine whether and how the two components of desire thinking exert differential moderating effects. A sample of 1424 adolescents was recruited to complete the scales of self-control, craving, desire thinking, and PMPU. The results suggested that self-control was indirectly associated with PMPU through craving. Furthermore, this indirect association was moderated by verbal perseveration, rather than imaginal prefiguration. Specifically, the indirect association was stronger for adolescents with higher verbal perseveration. The findings deepen our understanding of how self-control is related to PMPU and distinguish the effects of two components of desire thinking among adolescents.

Social addiction or nicotine addiction? The effect of smoking social motivation on inhibitory control under smoking social cues: Evidence from ERPs

INTRODUCTION

Previous studies and theoretical models suggest that the decreasing effect of smoking-related cues on inhibitory control in individuals who smoke is one of the underlying mechanisms of smoking behavior. However, many studies have overlooked the effects of other types of smoking-related cues, such as social cues. Moreover, previous studies have lacked investigation into whether this decreasing effect is influenced by internal factors. The present study aims to integrate behavioral and electrophysiological indicators to investigate the effect of smoking social cues on inhibitory control in individuals who smoke, as well as the moderating role of social motivations.

METHOD

In Experiment 1, a visual Go/NoGo paradigm with four types of backgrounds (neutral, neutral social, smoking object, and smoking social backgrounds) was used to record the error rates and reaction times of 32 participants who smoke. In Experiment 2, the Go/NoGo paradigm with two types of backgrounds (smoking object and smoking social backgrounds) was used to record the error rates, reaction times, and amplitudes of the N2 and P3 event-related potentials among 30 participants who smoke with varying degrees of primed smoking social motivation.

RESULTS

(1) Individuals who smoke had higher commission error rates and larger P3 amplitude under smoking social background than under smoking object background; (2) individuals who smoke with primed high smoking social motivation, rather than low motivation had higher commission error rates and larger P3 amplitude under smoking social background than under smoking object background.

CONCLUSIONS

Smoking social cues have a greater capacity to decrease inhibitory control in people who smoke than smoking object cues, and this decreasing effect is bolstered by smoking social motivation.

Unveiling the grip of mobile phone addiction: an in-depth review

Mobile Phone Addiction represents an emergent addictive disorder that gravely jeopardizes the physical and mental health of adolescents worldwide, necessitating exhaustive research. Current reviews of MPA are in dire need of updates and enhancements. Therefore, this review aggregates the extant research spanning the past two decades on the prevalence, pathogenesis, comorbidities, assessment, and treatment of MPA, aiming to furnish a reference for future investigations into this condition.

The enhancing effect of social reward on inhibitory control in smokers: Evidence from behaviour and ERP studies

OBJECTIVE

Prior research has revealed impaired inhibitory control as a pivotal factor contributing to smokers' struggle to control smoking impulses. However, few studies focus on enhancing smokers' inhibitory control. This study investigates the potential of social rewards to bolster inhibitory control among smokers and elucidates the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

In Experiment 1, a reward-based Go/Nogo paradigm assessed error rates and reaction times for 30 smokers exposed to social reward and neutral feedback in distinct contexts (smoking-related and neutral). Experiment 2 used a modified paradigm, incorporating cognitive load manipulation, to investigate error rates, reaction times, N2, and P3 ERPs among 32 smokers facing social reward and neutral feedback under different cognitive loads (high and low).

RESULTS

Smokers exhibit lower Nogo error rates with social reward feedback; higher error rates occur with smoking cues and high cognitive load; increased N2, P3 amplitudes under social reward versus neutral feedback; low cognitive load enhances P3 amplitude under social reward.

CONCLUSION

Social reward improves smokers' inhibitory control, but this effect weakens with exposure to smoking cues; higher cognitive load further diminishes the enhancement of smokers' inhibitory control by social reward under smoking cues.

The Impact of Executive Dysfunction on Anxiety in Hearing-Impaired College Students: Smartphone Addiction as a Mediator and Academic Procrastination as a Moderator

Purpose

Hearing-impaired college students often rely on smartphones for information exchange and social interaction due to their hearing limitations, which may increase their risk of smartphone addiction. This study aims to explore the impact of executive dysfunction on anxiety levels in hearing-impaired college students, investigating smartphone addiction as a mediator and academic procrastination as a moderator.

Methods

We conducted a questionnaire survey using the Executive Function Scale, the Anxiety Scale, the Smartphone Addiction Scale, and the Academic Procrastination Scale. The survey included 609 hearing-impaired college students from three universities in Jiangsu, Hunan, and Heilongjiang Provinces, China.

Results

After controlling for age, executive dysfunction was found to significantly predict higher anxiety levels in hearing-impaired college students. Additionally, smartphone addiction partially mediated the relationship between executive dysfunction and anxiety. Academic procrastination further moderated the relationship between smartphone addiction and anxiety.

Conclusion

This study enhances the understanding of the complex interactions between executive dysfunction, smartphone addiction, and academic procrastination in contributing to anxiety among hearing-impaired college students. The findings offer valuable insights for developing strategies to promote the mental health of this population.

Dysrhythmic saliva microbiota in mobile phone addicts with sleep disorders and restored by acupuncture

Background

Mobile phone addiction (MPA) greatly affects the biological clock and sleep quality and is emerging as a behavioral disorder. The saliva microbiota has been linked to circadian rhythms, and our previous research revealed dysrhythmic saliva metabolites in MPA subjects with sleep disorders (MPASD). In addition, acupuncture had positive effects. However, the dysbiotic saliva microbiota in MPASD patients and the restorative effects of acupuncture are unclear.

Objectives

To probe the circadian dysrhythmic characteristics of the saliva microbiota and acupunctural restoration in MPASD patients.

Methods

MPASD patients and healthy volunteers were recruited by the Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale (MPATS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Saliva samples were collected every 4 h for 72 h. After saliva sampling, six MPDSD subjects (group M) were acupuncturally treated (group T), and subsequent saliva sampling was conducted posttreatment. Finally, all the samples were subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing and bioinformatic analysis.

Results

Significantly increased MPATS and PSQI scores were observed in MPDSD patients (p< 0.01), but these scores decreased (p<0.001) after acupuncture intervention. Compared with those in healthy controls, the diversity and structure of the saliva microbiota in MPASD patients were markedly disrupted. Six genera with circadian rhythms were detected in all groups, including Sulfurovum, Peptostreptococcus, Porphyromonas and Prevotella. There were five genera with circadian rhythmicity in healthy people, of which the rhythmicities of the genera Rothia and Lautropia disappeared in MPASD patients but effectively resumed after acupuncture intervention.

Conclusions

This work revealed dysrhythmic salivary microbes in MPASD patients, and acupuncture, as a potential intervention, could be effective in mitigating this ever-rising behavioral epidemic.

The mediating effect of attentional impulsivity between mindfulness and problematic smartphone use

OBJECTIVE

Problematic smartphone use has been linked to lower levels of mindfulness, impaired attentional function, and higher impulsivity. This study aimed to identify the psychological mechanisms of problematic smartphone use by exploring the relationship between addictive smartphone use, mindfulness, attentional function and impulsivity.

METHODS

Ninety participants were evaluated with the smartphone addiction proneness scale and classified into the problematic smartphone use group (n = 42; 24 women; mean age: 27.6 ± 7.2 years) or normal use group (n = 48; 22 women; mean age: 30.1 ± 5.7 years). All participants completed self-report questionnaires evaluating their trait impulsivity and mindfulness and attention tests that assessed selective, sustained and divided attention. We compared the variables between the groups and explored the relationship between mindfulness, attentional function, impulsivity and addictive smartphone use through mediation analysis.

RESULTS

The problematic smartphone use group showed higher trait impulsivity and lower mindfulness than the normal use group. There were no significant group differences in performance on attention tests. Levels of addictive smartphone use were significantly correlated with higher levels of trait impulsivity and lower levels of mindfulness, but not with performance on attention tests. Mediation analysis showed that acting with awareness, an aspect of mindfulness, reduces the degree of addictive smartphone use through attentional impulsivity, one of the trait impulsivity.

CONCLUSION

Acting without sufficient awareness could influence addictive smartphone use by mediating attentional impulsivity. This supports that executive control deficits, reflected in high attentional impulsivity, contribute to problematic smartphone use. Our findings imply that mindfulness-based interventions can enhance executive control over smartphone use by promoting awareness.

Neural Network Dynamics and Brain Oscillations Underlying Aberrant Inhibitory Control in Internet Addiction

Previous studies have reported a role of alterations in the brain's inhibitory control mechanism in addiction. Mounting evidence from neuroimaging studies indicates that its key components can be evaluated with brain oscillations and connectivity during inhibitory control. In this study, we developed an internet-related stop-signal task with electroencephalography (EEG) signal recorded to investigate inhibitory control. Healthy controls and participants with Internet addiction were recruited to participate in the internet-related stop-signal task with 19-channel EEG signal recording, and the corresponding event-related potentials and spectral perturbations were analyzed. Brain effective connections were also evaluated using direct directed transfer function. The results showed that, relative to the healthy controls, participants with Internet addiction had increased Stop-P3 during inhibitory control, suggesting that they have an altered neural mechanism in impulsive control. Furthermore, participants with Internet addiction showed increased low-frequency synchronization and decreased alpha and beta desynchronization in the middle and right frontal regions compared to healthy controls. Aberrant brain effective connectivity was also observed, with increased occipital-parietal and intra-occipital connections, as well as decreased frontal-paracentral connection in participants with Internet addiction. These results suggest that physiological signals are essential in future implementations of cognitive assessment of Internet addiction to further investigate the underlying mechanisms and effective biomarkers.

The Impact of Problematic Social Media Use on Inhibitory Control and the Role of Fear of Missing Out: Evidence from Event-Related Potentials

Introduction

The general deficit in inhibitory control of problematic social media users has received widespread attention. However, the neural correlates of problematic social media use (PSMU) and inhibitory control remain unclear. Additionally, the co-occurrence of the fear of missing out (FoMO) with social media use is common, yet its role in the relationship between PSMU and inhibitory control has not been investigated.

Methods

This study aimed to examine the electrophysiological correlates of PSMU and inhibitory control using a modified two-choice oddball task combined with event-related potentials (ERPs), and to explore the role of FoMO in this relationship. A total of 66 participants with varying degrees of PSMU were included in the analysis based on the Problematic Mobile Social Media Usage Questionnaire.

Results

The study found that PSMU could impact inhibitory control. Specifically, as the PSMU score increases, the N2 amplitude is greater for social media-related pictures, and the P3 amplitude is smaller, while no significant differences are observed for neutral pictures. This suggests that PSMU affects inhibitory control by consuming more cognitive resources in the early conflict detection stage and leading to insufficient cognitive resources in the later stages of the inhibitory process. Furthermore, FoMO played a mediating role between PSMU and inhibitory control. PSMU could further impact inhibitory control through FoMO.

Conclusion

This study provides electrophysiological evidence for deficits in inhibitory control in PSMU and suggests that FoMO may further reduce inhibitory control in PSMU individuals.

"Youth-focused" versus "whole-family" screen rules: Associations with social media difficulties and moderation by impulsivity

Many parents attempt to limit adolescents' screen time without changing their own habits. We examined whether "whole-family" versus "youth-focused" restrictions differentially predict social media-related difficulties (procrastination and problematic use), and whether adolescents' impulsive social media behaviors moderated these relationships. Among 183 Chinese early adolescents (58.5% female), whole-family rules negatively predicted procrastination. Impulsivity moderated associations between rulemaking approaches and social media difficulties; youth-focused rules negatively predicted procrastination and problematic use for highly impulsive adolescents, while whole-family rules held no associations or predicted increased difficulties. For less impulsive adolescents, however, whole-family rules negatively predicted social media difficulties and youth-focused rules positively predicted problematic use. Results suggest that setting the implementation of screen rules should involve parental participation and consideration of individual differences.

Bidirectional relations between problematic smartphone use and bedtime procrastination among Chinese university students: Self-control as a mediator

OBJECTIVE

Based on theoretical and empirical evidence, this study examined the longitudinal relationship between problematic smartphone use and bedtime procrastination and the potential mediating role of self-control.

METHODS

Between November 2021 and November 2022, a three waves longitudinal design was employed. Wave 1 included 622 Chinese college students (46.95% male, Mage = 18.16, SD = 0.73), with 6-month intervals between waves. The data was collected using self-report assessments.

RESULTS

The results of the cross-lagged panel models show that problematic smartphone use positively predicted later bedtime procrastination, and the bedtime procrastination also positively predicted later problematic smartphone use among college students. More importantly, self-control played a mediating role in their bidirectional predictive relationship.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings add to the understanding of the causal relationship between problematic smartphone use and bedtime procrastination and reveal the core psychological mechanisms underlying their vicious cycle, with important practical implications for the prevention and intervention of problematic smartphone use and sleep problems.

Effects of fear of missing out on inhibitory control in social media context: evidence from event-related potentials

The present study aimed to investigate the impact of fear of missing out (FoMO) on inhibitory control in social media context. The present study used a two-choice oddball task combined with event-related potentials (ERPs) technology to measure inhibitory control. Based on the Fear of Missing Out Scale, participants with varying degrees of FoMO were recruited to complete two studies. A total of 78 participants in Study 1 completed a two-choice oddball task (stimuli "W" or "M"). The results showed that FoMO did not have a significant impact on general inhibitory control at both the behavioral and electrophysiological levels. To further examine the effect of FoMO in social media context. In Study 2, 72 participants completed a modified two-choice oddball task with three types of pictures (high and low social media-related and neutral). The behavioral results revealed that as FoMO scores increased, inhibitory control decreased. ERP analysis revealed that with higher FoMO scores, social media-related pictures elicited larger N2 amplitude and smaller P3 amplitude, but not for neutral pictures. This suggests that FoMO undermines inhibitory control by consuming more cognitive resources in the early conflict detection stage and leading to insufficient cognitive resources in the later stages of the inhibitory process. These findings suggest that FoMO can undermine inhibitory control in the social media context. Considering the indispensable use of social media in the digital age, addressing and understanding the influence of FoMO on inhibitory control could be essential for promoting healthy digital behaviors and cognitive functions.

Effects of Smoking Social Cues on Inhibitory Control in Smokers: An Event-Related Potential Study

Objective

Reduced inhibitory control is a general characteristic of smokers and becomes increasingly pronounced in smoking-related contexts. However, research has rarely considered differences in the effects of various smoking-related cues. To fill this research gap, this study compared the effects of smoking object-related and smoking social-related cues on inhibitory control in smokers.

Methods

We used a visual Go/NoGo paradigm with three types of long-lasting backgrounds (neutral, smoking object, and smoking social background) to record the error rates, reaction times, and amplitudes of the N2 and P3 event-related potentials (ERPs) by 25 smokers and 25 non-smokers.

Results

(1) Smokers displayed smaller NoGo-N2 amplitudes than controls under the neutral background; (2) smokers displayed smaller NoGo-N2 amplitudes under the smoking social background and smoking object background than they did under the neutral background; (3) relative to neutral and smoking object backgrounds, smokers displayed higher commission error rates, shorter reaction times, and larger NoGo-P3 amplitudes under smoking social background.

Conclusion

Smoking-related stimuli impair inhibitory control in smokers, especially when these stimuli are socially related.

Brief moderate-intensity aerobic exercise improves the executive function of Chinese undergraduates regardless of mobile phone addiction: Evidence from the antisaccade task

Introduction

Previous studies have shown that brief moderate-intensity aerobic exercise can improve the executive function of healthy adults. The present study sought to examine and compare the effects of brief moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on the executive functions of undergraduates with and without mobile phone addiction.

Method

Thirty-two healthy undergraduates with mobile phone addiction were recruited and randomly assigned to either an exercise or control group. Likewise, 32 healthy undergraduates without mobile phone addiction were recruited and randomly assigned to either an exercise or control group. Participants were asked to perform moderate-intensity aerobic exercise for 15 minutes for the exercise groups. The executive functions of all participants were assessed via the antisaccade task twice (i.e., pre-test and post-test).

Results

The results showed that the saccade latency, variability of saccade latency, and error rate decreased significantly from pre-test to post-test for all participants. More importantly, after the 15-min moderate-intensity aerobic exercise intervention, participants in the exercise groups showed significantly shorter saccade latency than their counterparts in the control groups, regardless of whether they are with mobile phone addiction.

Discussion

This result is consistent with previous studies demonstrating that brief moderate-intensity aerobic exercise can improve one’s executive function. Furthermore, the absence of significant interaction among Time, Group, and Intervention implies that the effects of brief moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on executive function are comparable between participants with and without mobile phone addiction. The present study supports the previous conclusion that brief moderate-intensity aerobic exercise can improve one’s executive function effectively, and extends it to the population with mobile phone addiction. In summary, the present study has some implications for understanding of the relationship between exercise, executive function, and mobile phone addiction.

The relationship between anxiety and depression with smartphone addiction among college students: The mediating effect of executive dysfunction

Smartphone addiction symptom is increasing globally. Many studies have found that negative emotion is associated with smartphone addiction, but few explore the mediating effect of executive dysfunction. In a large-scale, cross-sectional survey, 421 Chinese college students completed measures on anxiety, depression, smartphone addiction, and executive dysfunction. We surveyed the prevalence of depression, impaired executive function, and smartphone addiction. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the questionnaire structure, and the mediation models were used to examine the relationship between anxiety, depression, impaired executive function, and smartphone addiction. The main finding indicated that anxiety, depression, and executive dysfunction were positively and significantly associated with smartphone addiction. Executive dysfunction plays a mediation role between anxiety and depression with smartphone addiction. Specifically, executive dysfunction completely mediates the pathway of anxiety and smartphone addiction and partly mediates the path of depression and smartphone addiction. Depression directly predicted smartphone addiction positively but anxiety did not. The sample consisted of Chinese college students, which limits generalizability and self-reported lack of objectivity. The result suggests that we should pay more attention to the mediating role of executive dysfunction between negative emotion and smartphone addiction.

Reduced left dorsolateral prefrontal activation in problematic smartphone users during the Stroop task: An fNIRS study

Introduction

The widespread use of smartphones has triggered concern over problematic smartphone use (PSPU), as well as the need to elucidate its underlying mechanisms. However, the correlation between cortical activation and deficient inhibitory control in PSPU remains unclear.

Methods

This study examined inhibitory control using the color-word matching Stroop task and its cortical-activation responses using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in college students with PSPU (n = 56) compared with a control group (n = 54).

Results

At the behavioral level, Stroop interference, coupled with reaction time, was significantly greater in the PSPU group than in the control group. Changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (Oxy-Hb) signals associated with Stroop interference were significantly increased in the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, left frontopolar area, and bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Moreover, the PSPU group had lower Oxy-Hb signal changes associated with Stroop interference in the left-DLPFC, relative to controls.

Discussion

These results provide first behavioral and neuroscientific evidence using event-related fNIRS method, to our knowledge, that college students with PSPU may have a deficit in inhibitory control associated with lower cortical activation in the left-DLPFC.

Association between trajectories of problematic mobile phone use and chronotype among Chinese college students

AIMS

This study aimed to describe the prevalence of problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) and chronotype among Chinese college students, estimate PMPU development trajectories, and further examine the effect of PMPU trajectories on chronotype.

DESIGN

In a stratified cluster sampling design, PMPU and chronotype were evaluated in 999 college students from two universities in a 2-year prospective investigation from April 2019 to April 2021, and an investigation was conducted every six months (time 1 ∼ time 5, T1 ∼ T5).

PARTICIPANTS

N = 999 college students (mean age at T1: 18.8 years (SD = 1.2), 37.7% male) took part in the study.

MEASUREMENTS

The Self-rating Questionnaire for Adolescent Problematic Mobile Phone Use (SQAPMPU) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used to assess the PMPU and sleep quality of college students at each time point. The Morning and Evening Questionnaire (MEQ) was adopted to investigate the chronotype of college students at T5.

FINDINGS

The prevalence of PMPU at T1 ∼ T5 was 24.3%, 27.3%, 35.1%, 31.2% and 31.9%, respectively. The prevalence rates of morning types (M-types), neutral types (N-types), and evening types (E-types) were 19.1%, 70.8%, and 10.1%, respectively. Using latent growth mixture modelling, we identified three trajectories of PMPU: low-level (49.5%), moderate-level (38.6%), and high-level score trajectories (11.9%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis results showed that a trajectory with a high score was positively associated with E-types (P < 0.05). After stratification by gender, a high-level score trajectory was positively associated with E-types only among female college students (P < 0.05). There were sex differences in the association between trajectories of PMPU and chronotype.

CONCLUSION

Long-term symptoms of PMPU may be a potential risk factor for circadian rhythm disturbance among college students, and this effect was significantly different between genders.

Effects of exercise and psychological interventions on smartphone addiction among university students: A systematic review

Background and aims

Among the large number of studies on smartphone addiction, only a few randomized controlled trials on exercise and psychological interventions for smartphone addiction by university students have been published. This study aims to systematically investigate the impact of exercise and psychological interventions on smartphone addiction among university students.

Methods

The PRISMA guidelines were adopted for this systematic literature review. Prominent academic databases such as Web of Science, PubMed, ProQuest, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and PsycINFO were searched to find eligible studies published before Aug 2021. The overall quality of the articles was checked using the "QualSyst" tool by Kmet et al.

Results

From among 600 papers, 23 met the inclusion criteria and were incorporated into our systematic review. All of the studies were randomized controlled trials. The following thematic areas emerged as a result of the content analysis: study selection and design, as well as study characteristics (participants, intervention, comparisons, and outcomes).

Discussion and conclusion

The literature on exercise and psychological interventions for smartphone addiction is scarce. There is a need to introduce new interventions and to validate the effectiveness of combined interventions. Our findings suggest that exercise and psychological interventions may help to reduce smartphone addiction. This combination was more effective compare to exercise or psychological intervention on mental health and addiction among university students. Future research should combine exercise and psychological interventions, focusing on university students, especially females, who are vulnerable to smartphone addiction. Further studies should focus on the cross-section of neuropsychology, cognitive psychology, and sports science to provide combined interventions in physiological and psychological direction.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero, identifier: CRD42021278037.

Slow-Wave EEG Activity Correlates with Impaired Inhibitory Control in Internet Addiction Disorder

Impaired inhibitory control is a core feature of internet addiction disorder (IAD). It is therefore of interest to determine the neurophysiological markers associated with it. The present study aimed to find such biomarkers with a resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG). We specifically used scores on the Chinese Internet Addiction Scale revised edition (CIAS-R) to divide 46 participants into two groups: the IAD group (>53, n = 23) and control group (<46, n = 23). Both behavioral aspects (Go/NoGo responses and impulsivity) and EEG were measured in the lab. The results suggest that the IAD group presented a decreased slow-wave (1−8 Hz) absolute power across the whole brain. The slow-wave activities in the frontal areas were also correlated with the commission error rate in the Go/NoGo task in the IAD group. These results imply that the frontal slow-wave EEG activity may serve as a neurophysiological marker of IAD, helping to understand the underlying neural mechanisms of inhibitory control deficits in IAD and point to possible interventions.

Applying network analysis to understand the relationships between impulsivity and social media addiction and between impulsivity and problematic smartphone use

BACKGROUND

Prior studies have revealed the relationships between impulsivity and social media addiction (SMA) and between impulsivity and problematic smartphone use (PSU) based on total scores on standardized self-report scales. However, there has been a lack of studies exploring how the dimensions of impulsivity and components of SMA or PSU are interrelated. The present study aimed to investigate the structural relationships between the dimensions of impulsivity and components of SMA and PSU and determine the critical bridge node using network analysis.

METHODS

A total of 325 healthy adults aged 18-36 years participated in the study. SMA and PSU were assessed using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) and Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS), respectively. Impulsivity was measured by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Version 11 (BIS-11). Network analysis was used to construct an SMA-Impulsivity network and a PSU-Impulsivity network. Bridge centrality (bridge expected influence, BEI) was estimated to identify influential bridge nodes.

RESULTS

In addition to relationships within each community, network analysis revealed that the dimensions of impulsivity were closely associated with the components of SMA and PSU. Particularly, I2 "motor impulsivity" had a relatively strong connection with SMA3 "mood modification" and SMA4 "relapse" in the SMA-Impulsivity network, and with PSU2 "conflict" and PSU5 "withdrawal" in the PSU-Impulsivity network. Moreover, I2 "motor impulsivity" was identified as the most critical bridge node in both networks.

CONCLUSION

These findings demonstrate potential pathways between different dimensions of impulsivity and the components of SMA and PSU, providing new evidence relevant to understanding the underlying mechanisms that account for how highly impulsive individuals develop SMA and PSU, and highlight the critical bridge node-motor impulsivity-that may be a promising and effective target for the prevention and treatment of SMA and PSU.

Differences in the Effects of Reading and Aerobic Exercise Interventions on Inhibitory Control of College Students With Mobile Phone Addiction

Although many previous studies have shown that short-time moderate-intensity aerobic exercise can improve one's inhibitory control, some researchers suggested that its effect on inhibitory control is small. Meanwhile, some studies have shown that reading has a positive effect on inhibitory control. Since many studies examining the effect of exercise on inhibitory control used reading as a filler task, it is important to compare their effects. The present study used the antisaccade task as a tool to examine the differences in the effects of aerobic exercise and reading on inhibitory control of college students with mobile phone addiction. Thirty healthy college students with mobile phone addiction (range: 17-20 years, mean: 19.2 years) took part in the experiment. Participants were randomly assigned to an aerobic exercise group and a reading group. For the aerobic exercise group, participants were asked to perform moderate-intensity aerobic exercise for 15 min. For the reading group, participants were asked to sit quietly and read articles from newspapers for 15 min. Each participant's inhibitory control was examined pre- and post-intervention using the antisaccade task. In the antisaccade task, they have to direct their gaze toward the mirror image location of the target appearing parafoveally as quickly and as accurately as possible. The results showed significant main effects of Time (pre-test vs. post-test) on antisaccade latency and error rate. More importantly, a significant interaction of Time (pre-test vs. post-test) and Group (aerobic exercise vs. reading) was found on antisaccade latency. Specifically, the antisaccade latencies in the post-test were significantly shorter than those in the pre-test for the reading group, but the antisaccade latencies in the post-test and pre-test were comparable for the aerobic exercise group. The results of the present study imply that although both exercise and reading have effects on inhibitory control of college students with mobile phone addiction, the effect of reading may be somehow superior to exercise. Moreover, the current results also imply that researchers should be cautious when using reading as a filler task in future studies regarding the effect of aerobic exercise. The limitations of the present study were discussed.

Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Inhibitory Control of College Students with Smartphone Addiction

Background

Inhibitory control deficits may be one important cause for smartphone addiction. The available studies have shown that acute aerobic exercise may improve the inhibitory control. However, there is still lack of research on how regimens of an acute exercise affect this inhibitory control. The present study was to examine the effects of an acute aerobic exercise at three different exercise intensities on changes in the inhibitory control function including response inhibition and interference control in college students with smartphone addiction.

Methods

Participants (n = 30; age 20.03 ± 0.96 years) with smartphone addiction were identified by the Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale for College Students and randomized to study 1 and study 2 with 15 individuals each. Fifteen participants in study 1 were tested by the Go/NoGo task to explore the response inhibition, while other fifteen in study 2 were tested by the Flanker task to examine the interference control. The participants in study 1 and 2 were randomly assigned to three groups (5 in each) with exercising at low, moderate, and high intensity. The individual response inhibition and interference control were measured before and after 30 minutes acute aerobic exercise, respectively.

Results

In study 1, the accuracy of NoGo stimulus after 30 minutes of acute aerobic exercise was significantly increased (p ≤ 0.001) while the response time (RT) of Go stimulus was significantly decreased (p ≤ 0.001). The largest changes occurred in the moderate-intensity group for the accuracy of NoGo stimulus (p=0.012) and for the RT of Go stimulus (p ≤ 0.001). The results in study 2 showed no significant change in all three groups after exercise.

Conclusions

30 minutes of acute aerobic exercise could effectively elicit changes of the response inhibition in college students with smartphone addiction. The largest improvement was observed in the moderate intensity of an acute aerobic exercise in college students with smartphone addiction.

The mediating role of daytime sleepiness between problematic smartphone use and post-traumatic symptoms in COVID-19 home-refined adolescents

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 was first recognized in late 2019 in China, at which time school closures forced most students to isolate at home or maintain social distance, both of which increased smartphone use, daytime sleepiness and post traumatic disorder (PTSD) risks. However, to date, no research has fully explored these behavioral risks or the consequences.

METHODS

Two thousand and ninety home-confined students from two Chinese high schools participated in an online-based questionnaire battery that assessed their sociodemographic characteristics, COVID-19 related exposures, daytime sleepiness, problematic smartphone use, and PTSD. The subsequent data were subjected to mediation analysis, and structural equation models (SEM) were employed to explore the variable relationships.

RESULTS

The problematic smartphone use, daytime sleepiness and PTSD prevalence were respectively 16.4%, 20.2% and 6.9%. The number of COVID-19 related exposure was directly associated with problematic smartphone use and PTSD symptoms. Problematic smartphone use was found to be a mediator between COVID-19 related exposure and PTSD symptoms, and daytime sleepiness was found to partially mediate the associations between problematic smartphone use and PTSD.

CONCLUSIONS

The more exposure associated with the pandemic, the more psychological and behavioral problems the adolescents had. The relatively high rate of problematic smartphone use in home isolated adolescents possibly increased the risk of daytime sleepiness and psychological problems. Therefore, targeted improvements are needed to reduce the risk of psychological problems and daytime sleepiness in adolescents.

Affective and cognitive processes involved in behavioral addictions

This special issue addresses the affective and cognitive processes and their interactions potentially reflecting mechanisms underlying the development, maintenance of, or recovery from behavioral addictions. Various specific types of behavioral addictions will be considered, including those already in ICD-11 (gambling disorder, gaming disorder), but also new phenomena that are not yet classified (e.g., buying-shopping disorder, social-network-disorder) and phenomena potentially belonging to behavioral addictions although they are currently classified elsewhere (e.g., compulsive sexual behavior disorder). The articles included in this special issue directly investigate affective processes (e.g., cue-reactivity, craving, mood, stress, social interactions) and/or cognitive processes (e.g., executive functions, attention, memory). The studies involve experimental paradigms, neuropsychological tasks, psychophysiological measures, and neuroimaging techniques. Specific articles also deal with the relationship between affective and cognitive processes. The special issue is complemented by articles covering current debates and reviewing current empirical findings in the field.

Effects of smartphone addiction on sleep quality among Chinese university students: The mediating role of self-regulation and bedtime procrastination

The steep rise of smartphone use has raised public concerns about smartphone addiction and its associated negative health consequences, such as poor sleep quality; however, limited research has examined the psychological mechanisms underlying these associations. The current study tested the effects of smartphone addiction on poor sleep quality, through self-regulation and bedtime procrastination, among 427 Chinese undergraduate students, aged 18 or older (M = 19.36; female = 66%), who voluntarily completed an anonymous online questionnaire. The results showed that 1/3 of participants reported poor subjective sleep quality. Smartphone addiction and bedtime procrastination had a significant positive relationship, whereas self-regulation had a significant negative association, with poor sleep quality (which was assessed by sleep latency, sleep duration, and subjective sleep quality). Despite its nonsignificant direct effects, the indirect effects of smartphone addiction, via both self-regulation and bedtime procrastination, on the three indicators of poor sleep quality were statistically significant. The findings have supported the premise that both bedtime procrastination and poor self-regulation are risk-enhancing mediators on the association between smartphone addiction on poor sleep quality. Therefore, they should be considered in intervention programs (e.g., self-regulation skill training) to reduce smartphone addiction and improve sleep quality and physical wellbeing among university students.