Emotionally laden impulsivity interacts with affect in predicting addictive use of online sexual activity in men

Abstract The interest in studying addictive use of online sexual activities (OSA) has grown sharply over the last decade. Despite the burgeoning number of studies conceptualizing the excessive use of OSA as an addictive disorder, few have tested its relations to impulsivity, which is known to constitute a hallmark of addictive behaviors. To address this missing gap in the literature, we tested the relationships between addictive OSA use, impulsivity traits, and affect among a convenience sample of men ( N = 182; age, M = 29.17, SD = 9.34), building upon a theoretically driven model that distinguishes the various facets of impulsivity. Results showed that negative urgency (an impulsivity trait reflecting the tendency to act rashly in negative emotional states) and negative affect interact in predicting addictive OSA use. These results highlight the pivotal role played by negative urgency and negative affect in addictive OSA use, supporting the relevance of psychological interventions that focus on improving emotional regulation (e.g., to reduce negative affect and learn healthier coping strategies) to mitigate excessive use of OSA

Interference with Processing Negative Stimuli in Problematic Internet Users: Preliminary Evidence from an Emotional Stroop Task.

Although it has been proposed that problematic Internet use (PIU) may represent a dysfunctional coping strategy in response to negative emotional states, there is a lack of experimental studies that directly test how individuals with PIU process emotional stimuli. In this study, we used an emotional Stroop task to examine the implicit bias toward positive and negative words in a sample of 100 individuals (54 females) who also completed questionnaires assessing PIU and current affect states. A significant interaction was observed between PIU and emotional Stroop effects (ESEs), with participants who displayed prominent PIU symptoms showing higher ESEs for negative words compared to other participants. No significant differences were found on the ESEs for positive words among participants. These findings suggest that PIU may be linked to a specific emotional interference with processing negative stimuli, thus supporting the view that PIU is a dysfunctional strategy to cope with negative affect. A potential treatment implication for individuals with PIU includes a need to enhance the capacity to process and regulate negative feelings

Disentangling the role of users' preferences and impulsivity traits in problematic Facebook use.

The use of social network sites (SNSs) has grown dramatically. Numerous studies have shown that SNS users may suffer from excessive use, associated with addictive-like symptoms. With a focus on the popular SNS Facebook (FB), our aims in the current study were twofold: First, to explore the heterogeneity of FB usage and determine which kind of FB activity predicts problematic usage; second, to test whether specific impulsivity facets predict problematic use of FB. To this end, a sample of FB users (N = 676) completed an online survey assessing usage preferences (e.g., types of activities performed), symptoms of problematic FB use and impulsivity traits. Results indicated that specific usage preferences (updating one's status, gaming via FB, and using notifications) and impulsive traits (positive and negative urgency, lack of perseverance) are associated to problematic FB use. This study underscores that labels such as FB "addiction" are misleading and that focusing on the actual activities performed on SNSs is crucial when considering dysfunctional usage. Furthermore, this study clarified the role of impulsivity in problematic FB use by building on a theoretically driven model of impulsivity that assumes its multidimensional nature. The current findings have identifiable theoretical and public health implications

A weak scientific basis for gaming disorder: let us err on the side of caution

We greatly appreciate the care and thought that is evident in the 10 commentaries that discuss our debate paper, the majority of which argued in favor of a formalized ICD-11 gaming disorder. We agree that there are some people whose play of video games is related to life problems. We believe that understanding this population and the nature and severity of the problems they experience should be a focus area for future research. However, moving from research construct to formal disorder requires a much stronger evidence base than we currently have. The burden of evidence and the clinical utility should be extremely high, because there is a genuine risk of abuse of diagnoses. We provide suggestions about the level of evidence that might be required: transparent and preregistered studies, a better demarcation of the subject area that includes a rationale for focusing on gaming particularly versus a more general behavioral addictions concept, the exploration of non-addiction approaches, and the unbiased exploration of clinical approaches that treat potentially underlying issues, such as depressive mood or social anxiety first. We acknowledge there could be benefits to formalizing gaming disorder, many of which were highlighted by colleagues in their commentaries, but we think they do not yet outweigh the wider societal and public health risks involved. Given the gravity of diagnostic classification and its wider societal impact, we urge our colleagues at the WHO to err on the side of caution for now and postpone the formalization

Can Internet Gaming Disorder criteria distinguish high engagement from addiction ?

Video games have become the most popular leisure activity around the world, sometimes mobilizing millions of players on a daily basis. However, accumulating evidence suggests that excessive use of video games is associated to a wide range of negative consequences. In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association included in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder criteria to define Internet Gaming Disorder. This proposal was incorporated into Section 3 on emerging measures and models, calling for future studies on these criteria. The originality of this thesis was to be among the first to empirically test the DSM-5 criteria based on various psychological factors recognized as playing a role in the addictive disorders and in the excessive use of video games. The crucial distinction between high but non-problematic engagement in video games and “addiction” was also addressed.Les jeux vidéo sont devenus le loisir le plus populaire à travers le monde, et mobilisent des millions de joueurs quotidiennement. Cependant, un nombre croissant de données scientifiques indiquent que la pratique excessive des jeux vidéo est associée à une variété de conséquences négatives. C’est dans ce contexte qu’en 2013 l’Association Américaine de Psychiatrie a inclus dans la dernière édition du Manuel Diagnostique et Statistique des Troubles Mentaux des critères visant à identifier spécifiquement l’usage pathologique des jeux vidéo en ligne. Cette proposition a été intégrée dans la Section 3 sur les troubles émergeants, appelant à la réalisation de futures études pour valider ou rejeter ces critères. Cette thèse compte parmi les premières recherches ayant testé empiriquement les critères du DSM-5 sur base de différents facteurs psychologiques reconnus comme jouant un rôle dans les processus d’addiction classiques et dans l’usage excessif des jeux vidéo. L’importance centrale de la distinction entre engagement élevé non-problématique et « addiction » au jeu vidéo a également été abordée.(PSYE - Sciences psychologiques et de l'éducation) -- UCL, 201

Évaluation de la validité des critères du Trouble lié au Jeu Vidéo en ligne selon le DSM-5 : Une approche en “Machine Learning”

INTRODUCTION : En 2013, le trouble lié au jeu vidéo en ligne (TJV) a été introduit dans la section III du DSM-5 qui répertorie les troubles émergents nécessitant plus de recherche avant d’être potentiellement reconnus [1]. 9 critères de diagnostic ont été proposés à partir de ceux initialement établis pour les troubles liés à l’utilisation de substance et au jeu d’argent [2]. Certains de ces critères, comme l’augmentation progressive du temps de jeu, ont été critiqués quant à leur validité vis-à-vis de l’évaluation du TJV [3]. Bien que le score seuil proposé par le DSM-5 pour établir un diagnostic semble soutenu dans la littérature [4], la présence de critères jugés peu pertinents par les experts rend possible une sur-pathologisation des joueurs fortement engagés dans les jeux vidéo [5]. Le Machine Learning (ML) représente une opportunité d’innovation dans l’évaluation de la validité des critères d’un outil diagnostic (validité clinique, utilité clinique, valeur pronostique). Bien que le ML soit de plus en plus utilisé en psychologie, il n’y a à notre connaissance aucune étude qui a utilisé cette approche pour tester la validité des critères proposés pour définir le TJV selon le DSM-5. OBJECTIF : Évaluer la validité des critères du DSM-5 concernant le TJV en fonction du score seuil de diagnostic (cut-off) prédéterminé et observer l’apport du ML. MATERIEL ET METHODE : Trois bases de données venant de deux études publiées [6, 7] et d’une étude non publiée ont été regroupées afin d’obtenir un échantillon final de 412 répondants. Les participants sont âgés entre 18 et 43 ans (M=21.89, SD=3.42), présentent un temps de jeux hebdomadaire allant de 1 à 70 heures (M=12.36, SD=9.06) et ont répondu de façon dichotomique à un questionnaire en ligne évaluant la présence des 9 critères du DSM-5 [2]. Aucun style de jeu en ligne particulier n’est ciblé. Selon le DSM-5, 95 (23%) participants présenteraient un TJV. Pour les statistiques traditionnelles, nous avons calculé les scores de Khi carré pour chaque critère du DSM-5. Concernant le ML, nous avons entraîné 2500 forêts d’arbres décisionnels et nous avons ensuite calculé pour chaque critère la moyenne de son importance au sein des 2500 modèles de prédiction entrainés. RESULTATS : Dans les deux types d’analyses, les critères de perte de contrôle et de perte d’intérêt ont obtenu les plus hauts scores. Les analyses de ML considèrent le critère de préoccupation comme étant le moins important. Du côté des statistiques traditionnelles, le critère de tolérance obtient la plus faible valeur. DISCUSSION : Le rajout du ML dans nos analyses a permis de confirmer la pertinence des critères de perte de contrôle et de perte d’intérêt repéré dans les analyses faites à l’aide des statistiques traditionnelles. De plus, le ML a attiré notre attention sur le critère de préoccupation comme étant potentiellement non valide, à l’instar du critère de tolérance dont la faible validité a été mise en lumière par les statistiques traditionnelles. Utiliser plusieurs méthodes d’analyse pour évaluer les critères d’un outil de diagnostic a apporté un avantage certain à notre étude et semble prometteur pour l’avenir. Bibliographie [1] American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5 (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association. [2] Petry, N. M., Rehbein, F., Gentile, D. A., Lemmens, J. S., Rumpf, H. J., Mößle, T., Bischof, G., Tao, R., Fung, D. S. S., Borges, G., Auriacombe, M., González Ibáñez, A., Tam, P., & O’Brien, C. P. (2014). An international consensus for assessing internet gaming disorder using the new DSM-5 approach. Addiction, 109(9), 1399–1406. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.12457 [3] Castro-Calvo, J., King, D. L., Stein, D. J., Brand, M., Carmi, L., Chamberlain, S. R., Demetrovics, Z., Fineberg, N. A., Rumpf, H. J., Yücel, M., Achab, S., Ambekar, A., Bahar, N., Blaszczynski, A., Bowden-Jones, H., Carbonell, X., Chan, E. M. Lo, Ko, C. H., de Timary, P., … Billieux, J. (2021). Expert appraisal of criteria for assessing gaming disorder: an international Delphi study. Addiction. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15411 [4] Ko, CH., Yen, JY., Chen, SH., Wang, PW., Chen, CS., Yen, CF. (2014). Evaluation of the diagnostic criteria of Internet gaming disorder in the DSM-5 among young adults in Taiwan. J. Psychiatr. Res. 53:103–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.02.008 [5] Billieux, J., Flayelle, M., Rumpf, H.-J., & Stein, D. J. (2019). High Involvement Versus Pathological Involvement in Video Games: a Crucial Distinction for Ensuring the Validity and Utility of Gaming Disorder. Current Addiction Reports, 6(3), 323–330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-019-00259-x [6] Deleuze, J., Long, J., Liu, T. Q., Maurage, P., & Billieux, J. (2018). Passion or addiction? Correlates of healthy versus problematic use of videogames in a sample of French-speaking regular players. Addictive Behaviors, 82(March), 114–121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.02.031 [7] Deleuze, J., Nuyens, F., Rochat, L., Rothen, S., Maurage, P., & Billieux, J. (2017). Established risk factors for addiction fail to discriminate between healthy gamers and gamers endorsing DSM-5 Internet gaming disorder. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 6(4), 516–524. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.6.2017.07

Or08-3the Influence of Prepotent Response Inhibition and Decision Making on Problematic Online Gaming

During the last decade, Massively Multiplayer Online games (MMO) have gained a particular interest. With dozen of millions users playing every day, the prevalence rate for the excessive and problematic usage of MMO is varying from 5 to 15%. Defined in the DSM-5 as Internet Gaming Disorder, the negative repercussions on health and on both family and professional spheres can be heavy. Several studies have highlighted the role of impaired inhibition capacities on the onset and maintenance of problematic behavior. More specifically, the inhibition of prepotent response identified and defined by Friedman and Miyake (2004) as the ability to deliberately suppress automatic behaviors has been reported impaired among excessive players. Another cognitive mechanism that was related to excessive online gambling is decision making abilities. It has thus been proposed that excessive gamers have difficulties to balance short term benefits with future outcomes (e.g., neglecting relationships) The aim of our study is to compare inhibitory control and decision making skills in problematic and non-problematic gamers (previous studies often compared problematic gamers with non-gamers). A secondary objective of the study will be to compare proportion of problematic versus non-problematic players according to the main types of MMOs (MMORPGs, FPS, MOBA)