Differences in Reward Sensitivity between High and Low Problematic Smartphone Use Adolescents: An ERP Study

Dispositional and Social Correlates of Digital Status Seeking Among Adolescents

Social media have transformed peer relationships among adolescents, providing new avenues to attain online status indicators such as likes and followers. This study aimed to explore the associations between various dispositional and social factors and digital status-seeking behaviors among a sample of adolescents (N = 731; Mage = 14.69, 48.7 percent female), as well as explore potential gender differences in the examined associations. Sociometric nominations for digital status-seeking, likeability, and popularity were collected, and participants self-reported their social media use frequency, awareness of social media positivity bias, reward sensitivity, and gender. The findings revealed a positive relationship between sociometric popularity and digital status-seeking, whereas likeability displayed a negative association with digital status-seeking. These results emphasize the importance of distinguishing between different social status indicators in understanding online behaviors. Reward sensitivity did not show a significant link to digital status-seeking, and awareness of social media positivity bias heightened the likelihood of being nominated as a digital status-seeker. These findings underscore the need for further research, especially focusing on girls who appear to be more vulnerable to engaging in digital status-seeking behaviors.

Self-regulation profiles in addictive behaviors among adolescents: A transdiagnostic approach

Dual-pathway models suggest that poor self-regulation (immature regulatory combined with strong reactive processes) is an important factor underlying addictive behaviors among adolescents. This study examined whether there are different self-regulation profiles among community adolescents, and how these profiles are related to the presence, severity and comorbidity of different addictive behaviors. A community sample of 341 adolescents (54.5% female; 13-17 years) was recruited. Participants self-reported on regulatory (inhibitory control) and reactive (reward and punishment sensitivity) processes, as well as on different addictive behaviors (binge eating, tobacco-, cannabis- and alcohol use, gaming, gambling and pathological buying). A model-based clustering analysis found evidence for three meaningful profiles: 'impulsive/under-controlled', 'anxious' and 'protective'. The 'impulsive/under-controlled' profile was characterized by the highest prevalence and severity of cannabis use and the most severe alcohol use. The 'impulsive/under-controlled' and 'protective' profiles demonstrated the highest prevalence and severity of tobacco use, whereas the 'impulsive/under-controlled' and 'anxious' profiles showed the highest binge eating scores. Adolescents who reported more than three types of addictive behaviors generally belonged to the 'impulsive/under-controlled' profile. The profiles did not differ for gaming, gambling and pathological buying. The 'impulsive/under-controlled' profile emerged as the most vulnerable profile in the context of addictive behaviors (especially for binge eating and substance use).

Exploring the Impact of Smartphone Addiction on Risk Decision-Making Behavior among College Students Based on fNIRS Technology

Smartphone Addiction is a social issue caused by excessive smartphone use, affecting decision-making processes. Current research on the risky decision-making abilities of smartphone addicts is limited. This study used the functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) brain imaging technique and a Sequential Risk-Taking Task experimental paradigm to investigate the decision-making behavior and brain activity of smartphone addicts under varying risk levels. Using a mixed experimental design, the research assessed decision-making ability and brain activation levels as dependent variables across two groups (addiction and control), two risk amounts (high and low), and two outcomes (gain and loss). The study included 42 participants, with 25 in the addiction group and 17 in the control group. Results indicated that risk level significantly impacted the decision-making ability of smartphone addicts, with high-risk levels leading to weaker decision-making ability and increased risk-taking. However, at low-risk levels, decision-making abilities between addicts and healthy individuals showed no significant difference. Furthermore, brain imaging results using fNIRS revealed stronger brain activation in the dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (dlPFC) region for smartphone addicts under loss outcome conditions, with no significant differences between the two groups in terms of brain activation at varying risk volumes. These findings are critical in promoting healthy smartphone use, guiding clinical treatment, and advancing brain mechanism research.

[Advances in the electrophysiological research on neurocognitive function in adolescents with non-suicidal self-injury]

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is becoming increasingly common in adolescents and seriously affects their physical and mental health, and it is also a major risk factor for suicide among adolescents. NSSI has now become a public health issue of general concern; however, the identification of cognitive dysfunction in NSSI is still based on neuropsychological cognitive assessment and subjective questionnaire assessment, with a lack of objective evaluation indicators. As a method for studying the cognitive neural mechanism of NSSI, electroencephalography is a reliable tool for finding objective biomarkers of NSSI. This article reviews the recent research on electrophysiology associated with cognitive dysfunction in adolescents with NSSI.

Exploring the relationship between social exclusion and smartphone addiction: The mediating roles of loneliness and self-control

Previous studies have identified many antecedents of smartphone addiction. However, social exclusion as a risk factor for smartphone addiction has not been widely studied, and little is known concerning the psychological mechanism underlying this association. The present study tested the influence of social exclusion on smartphone addiction as well as the mediating roles of loneliness and self-control in this relationship. An online survey was conducted, and the sample consisted of 573 university students (323 females). The results revealed that (1) social exclusion was a positive predictor of smartphone addiction; (2) loneliness and self-control separately mediated the association between social exclusion and smartphone addiction; and (3) loneliness and self-control sequentially mediated the relation between social exclusion and smartphone addiction. Possible explanations were discussed. The findings of the current study would contribute to understanding the relationships between these study variables as well as the psychological mechanisms underlying these associations.

Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating Behaviors: The Mediation Role of Smartphone Addiction and Depression

This study aimed to determine whether smartphone addiction and depression sequentially mediate the relationship between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors (e.g., restrained eating, emotional eating and external eating). A total of 5986 participants (54.1% females, average age = 19.8 years, age range = 17–32) completed the Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction with Body Parts Scale, the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire, the Smartphone Addiction Scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Mediational analysis showed that, after controlling for age, sex and body mass index, body dissatisfaction was related to disordered eating behaviors through (a) the mediating effect of smartphone addiction, (b) the mediating effect of depression, and (c) the serial mediating effect of smartphone addiction and depression. In conclusion, our study showed for the first time that smartphone addiction and depression can be sequential mediator variables in the association between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. However, this study is a cross-sectional study; future longitudinal studies could further test the causal associations between these study variables.