YouTube's growth in use among children 0-5 during COVID19: The Occidental European case

Evolutionary perspectives on substance and behavioural addictions: Distinct and shared pathways to understanding, prediction and prevention

Addiction poses significant social, health, and criminal issues. Its moderate heritability and early-life impact, affecting reproductive success, poses an evolutionary paradox: why are humans predisposed to addictive behaviours? This paper reviews biological and psychological mechanisms of substance and behavioural addictions, exploring evolutionary explanations for the origin and function of relevant systems. Ancestrally, addiction-related systems promoted fitness through reward-seeking, and possibly self-medication. Today, psychoactive substances disrupt these systems, leading individuals to neglect essential life goals for immediate satisfaction. Behavioural addictions (e.g. video games, social media) often emulate ancestrally beneficial behaviours, making them appealing yet often irrelevant to contemporary success. Evolutionary insights have implications for how addiction is criminalised and stigmatised, propose novel avenues for interventions, anticipate new sources of addiction from emerging technologies such as AI. The emerging potential of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists targeting obesity suggest the satiation system may be a natural counter to overactivation of the reward system.

The prevalence and possible risk factors of internet gaming disorder among adolescents and young adults: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

BACKGROUND

As a spreading addictive behaviour in recent years, internet gaming disorder (IGD) has been studied a lot and the overall research results indicate that IGD has a high prevalence among adolescents and young adults (AYAs). To update the status quo of prevalence, it is necessary to conduct comprehensive analyses.

METHODS

On the premise of following the PRISMA statement, the study conducted two systematic reviews and meta-analyses to assess the global prevalence of IGD among AYAs and identify its possible risk factors. To achieve the goals, PubMed and CNKI databases were used to select the concerned studies published up to May 31, 2021. Heterogeneity was assessed using a funnel plot, Begg's test, Egger's test, and trim-and-fil method, followed by sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis, and meta-regression analysis.

RESULTS

For the meta-analysis of prevalence, 407,620 participants from 155 reports in 33 countries were included. The pooled prevalence of IGD among AYAs was 9.9% (95% CI: 8.6%-11.3%, P = 0.000, I² = 94.4%), including 8.8% (95% CI: 7.5%-10.0%) among adolescents and 10.4% (95% CI: 8.8%-11.9%) among young adults. The following 12 factors are the possible risk factors of IGD among AYAs, which are stress, long average game time, family dysfunction, poor academic performance, being bullied, bullying, interpersonal problems, hyperactivity/inattention, anxiety, depression, emotional distress and low self-esteem.

CONCLUSIONS

This study confirms the prevalence and possible risk factors for IGD among AYAs. It's valuable in understanding the threat of IGD and finding intervention strategies for IGD among AYAs.

A Network Analysis of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S): A Large-Scale Cross-Cultural Study in Iran, Bangladesh, and Norway

The rapid spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to high levels of fear worldwide. Given that fear is an important factor in causing psychological distress and facilitating preventive behaviors, assessing the fear of COVID-19 is important. The seven-item Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) is a widely used psychometric instrument to assess this fear. However, the factor structure of the FCV-19S remains unclear according to the current evidence. Therefore, the present study used a network analysis to provide further empirical evidence for the factor structure of FCV-19S. A total of 24,429 participants from Iran (n = 10,843), Bangladesh (n = 9906), and Norway (n = 3680) completed the FCV-19S in their local language. A network analysis (via regularized partial correlation networks) was applied to investigate the seven FCV-19S items. Moreover, relationships between the FCV-19S items were compared across gender (males vs. females), age groups (18−30 years, 31−50 years, and >50 years), and countries (Iran, Bangladesh, and Norway). A two-factor structure pattern was observed (three items concerning physical factors, including clammy hands, insomnia, and heart palpitations; four items concerning psychosocial factors, including being afraid, uncomfortable, afraid of dying, and anxious about COVID-19 news). Moreover, this pattern was found to be the same among men and women, across age groups and countries. The network analysis used in the present study verified the two-factor structure for the FCV-19S. Future studies may consider using the two-factor structure of FCV-19S to assess the fear of COVID-19 during the COVID-19 era.

Client's Experiences Using a Location-Based Technology ICT System during Gambling Treatments' Crucial Components: A Qualitative Study

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the treatment of choice for Gambling Disorder (GD), with stimulus control (SC) and exposure with response prevention (ERP) being its two core components. Despite their efficacy, SC and ERP are not easy to deliver, so it is important to explore new ways to enhance patient compliance regarding SC and ERP. The aim of this study is to describe and assess the opinion of two patients diagnosed with problem gambling and GD that used the Symptoms app, a location-based ICT system, during SC and ERP. A consensual qualitative research study was conducted. We used a semi-structured interview, developed ad-hoc based on the Expectation and Satisfaction Scale and System Usability Scale. A total of 20 categories were identified within six domains: usefulness, improvements, recommendation to other people, safety, usability, and opinion regarding the use of the app after completing the intervention. The patients considered the app to be useful during the SC and ERP components and emphasized that feeling observed and supported at any given time helped them avoid lapses. This work can offer a starting point that opens up new research paths regarding psychological interventions for gambling disorder, such as assessing whether location-based ICT tools enhance commitment rates.