Third wave cognitive and behavioral processes and therapies for addictive behaviors: An introduction to the Special Issue

Cognitive, Metacognitive, Motivational, and Emotional Predictors of the Intensity of Internet Gaming Disorder among Adolescents

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is multifaceted and can have significant negative consequences. The present study examined the contribution of cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, and emotional factors as predictors for IGD severity. In a cross-sectional study, 703 Iranian adolescents (36.8% females, mean age = 16.98 years [SD = 1.23]) completed an online survey. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that the cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, and emotional factors predicted 7.8%, 17.4%, 1.4%, and 1.9% of the variance in IGD symptoms, respectively. The findings indicated that the cognitive factors including some maladaptive cognitions, such as cognitive salience, regret, and perfectionism, and metacognitive factors including some maladaptive metacognitions (negative metacognitions regarding the uncontrollability of online gaming and negative metacognitions regarding the dangers of online gaming) were significant predictors of IGD severity, highlighting their importance in understanding and predicting problematic gaming behaviors. Although contributing to the variance in IGD, motivational factors (escape, coping, and skill development) and emotional factors including emotion regulation (especially reappraisal) played relatively smaller roles compared to cognitive and metacognitive factors. Of the examined predictive factors, metacognitions were the most important predictor of IGD severity. Exploratory moderator analyses showed significant interactions between three predictors of IGD (reappraisal, negative metacognitions, and cognitive salience) with loneliness, stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Reappraisal was the most frequent predictor and had a significant interaction with these variables. Other predictors independently impacted IGD irrespective of the level of loneliness, stress, anxiety, or depressive symptoms. Based on these findings, special attention to metacognitive, cognitive, emotional, and motivational factors is suggested in the treatment of IGD.

Investigating interventions that lead to the highest treatment retention for emerging adults with substance use disorder: A systematic review

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Emerging adults (age 18-25) have the highest rate of substance use disorders (SUD) and often drop out of treatment earlier than those age twenty six or older. In order to increase treatment retention in emerging adults, there needs to be a better understanding of which SUD treatment interventions work best for this population. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate treatment interventions for emerging adults with SUD and identify which interventions show promise for retention in treatment.

METHODS

Following the PRISMA guidelines, Medline, PsycInfo, CINAHL (all via EBSCO), and Embase were systematically searched for articles that evaluated treatment interventions for emerging adults with SUD. From here, the authors identified treatment interventions that showed promise for retention in treatment.

RESULTS

Nine studies were included. The main findings indicate (1) behavioral therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy and contingency management for cannabis and alcohol use disorders, or (2) cognitive behavioral therapy paired with opioid-agonist-therapy for opioid use disorder demonstrate the most promise for retention in treatment.

CONCLUSION

The interventions identified that show promise for emerging adults was similar to studies evaluating interventions for all ages. Given that retention rates are often lower in emerging adults despite the application of the full range of effective adult treatments, this review suggests they may require something different. While further studies are warranted to determine with more certainty what works best to keep emerging adults in treatment, some tentative suggestions are included.

Metacognitions as a predictor of online gaming in adolescents: Psychometric properties of the metacognitions about online gaming scale among Iranian adolescents

The Metacognitions about Online Gaming Scale (MOGS) measures maladaptive metacognitions about online gaming. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate psychometric properties of the MOGS, including its factor structure, reliability, and predictive validity among Iranian adolescents. The scale was administered to 769 Iranian adolescents (577 male, mean age = 16.39 ± 1.68 years) with an age range of 15-19 years. The participants completed the Persian-translated version of the MOGS, the Big Five Inventory-10, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21, the Video-Game Related Cognitions Scale, the Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire, and the Problematic Online Gaming Questionnaire. The results of the Exploratory Factor Analysis (n = 350) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (n = 419) confirmed three-factors similar to the parent version, including "negative metacognitions about uncontrollability of online gaming" (N-MOGU), "negative metacognitions about dangers of online gaming" (N-MOGD), and "positive metacognitions about online gaming" (P-MOG). The Persian MOGS's reliability showed a suitable internal consistency for the P-MOG, the N-MOGU, the N-MOGD, and the total score in both confirmatory and exploratory samples (range 0.79 to 0.93). A hierarchical regression analysis showed that the Persian MOGS predicted 33.9% of the variance in problematic online gaming independently of personality traits, anxiety, depression, stress, and both gaming-related cognitions and gaming motives. Furthermore, the results of analyses of variance with follow-up Bonferroni pairwise comparisons showed that interaction between the factors of MOGS and types of game and tools of gaming was significant. The findings provide evidence that the Persian MOGS among Iranian adolescents appears psychometrically appropriate to be used by researchers and practitioners dealing with the prevention and treatment of problematic online gaming.