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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 52012

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Manuel J. Ruiz Muñoz

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Chief Guest Editor

Department of Psychology and Anthropology, Education Faculty, University of Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
Interests: substance abuse; behavioral addictions; executive functions; cognitive impairment; stimulant drugs

Dr. Sergio Fernández-Artamendi

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Assistant Guest Editor

Department of Psychology, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, 41704 Dos Hermanas, Sevilla, Spain
Interests: addictions; cannabis; alcohol; mental health; psychological assessment; evidence-based intervention

Dr. Carla López-Nuñez

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Assistant Guest Editor

Department of Psychology, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, 41704 Dos Hermanas, Sevilla, Spain
Interests: addictions; prevention; smoking cessation; tobacco consumption; treatment; young adults

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Adolescence and youth are critical periods in human development. These life stages are often linked to exploration and experimentation. As part of this process, adolescents might start using substances or practicing other addictive behaviors, such as gambling or gaming. In some cases, these high-risk behaviors evolve into problematic patterns, causing multiple psychosocial problems. Additionally, early onset of addictive behaviors increases the risk of developing substance use disorders and behavioral addictions later in adulthood. Moreover, addictive behaviors and disorders oftentimes present with additional mental health problems and disorders. Drug use and abuse, alcohol intake, smoking, gambling, and excessive Internet and Social Networking Site use or gaming, among others, are closely related to poor mental health in these vulnerable populations. Whereas comorbidity between addictions and mental health disorders is well-known among adults, research is considerably scarce among adolescents. Moreover, in a changing world where new substances and behavioral addictions arise, new information and communication technologies are constantly developed, and situations like the COVID-19 pandemic impact adolescents’ mental health in unexpected ways, an update on the field from multiple disciplines (psychology, sociology, social work, anthropology, etc.) is required. This would ensure that health workers and policy-makers successfully detect adolescent and young adults at risk of engaging in substance abuse and/or addictive behaviors and provide effective treatments including counseling, psychological therapy, and social support.

This Special Issue in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is devoted to the dissemination of recent findings on “Addictive Behaviors and Mental Health in Adolescents and Young Adults”, in order to fill the existing gaps in the field, and to improve our understanding of the relationship between early maturational life stages and addictive behaviors.

Dr. Manuel J. Ruiz Muñoz
Dr. Sergio Fernández-Artamendi
Dr. Carla López-Nuñez
Guest Editors

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Keywords

adolescence
addictive behaviors
high-risk behaviors
mental health
substance abuse
young adults

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Published Papers (12 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 527 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Clinical Usefulness of a Short Version of the Internet Addiction Test to Screen for Probable Internet Addiction in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

by Masaru Tateno, Kazumasa Horie, Tomohiro Shirasaka, Kotaro Nanba, Eri Shiraishi, Yukie Tateno and Takahiro A. Kato

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4670; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054670 - 6 Mar 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2915

Abstract

Internet addiction (IA) is defined as the condition of being addicted to all sorts of activities on the Internet. Individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), may be susceptible to IA. Early detection and intervention for probable IA are important to prevent severe IA. In this study, we investigated the clinical usefulness of a short version of the Internet Addiction Test (s-IAT) for the screening of IA among autistic adolescents. The subjects were 104 adolescents with a confirmed diagnosis of ASD. They were requested to answer 20 questions from the original Internet Addiction Test (IAT). In the data analysis process, we comparatively calculated the sum of scores to the 12 questions of s-IAT. In total, 14 of the 104 subjects were diagnosed as having IA based on the face-to-face clinical interview that was regarded as the gold standard. Statistical analysis suggested that the optimal cut-off for s-IAT was at 35. When we applied the cut-off of 70 on the IAT, only 2 of 14 subjects (14.3%) with IA were screened positive, whereas 10 (71.4%) of them were screened by using the cut-off point of 35 on s-IAT. The s-IAT might be useful for the screening of IA in adolescents with ASD. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addictive Behaviors and Mental Health in Adolescents and Young Adults)

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13 pages, 873 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Does Problematic Internet Use Influence Chinese Rural Adolescent Externalizing Problem Behaviors? The Mediating Role of Mental Health and the Moderating Role of Parental Knowledge

by Shuping Yang and Xingchen Zhu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2162; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032162 - 25 Jan 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2104

Abstract

This study aims to provide a new perspective on the relationship between problematic Internet use and externalizing problem behavior among adolescents. Many studies have focused on the relationship between problematic Internet use and adolescent externalizing problem behavior; however, research on the underlying mechanism remain understudied. Altogether, 1161 Chinese rural adolescents aged 13–17 years completed a self-report questionnaire. The results indicate that: (1) Problematic Internet use has a negative effect on rural adolescent externalizing problem behaviors; (2) mental health has an effect on the relationship between problematic Internet use and externalizing problem behaviors; and (3) parental knowledge may moderate the indirect effect by attenuating the relationship between problematic Internet use and externalizing problem behaviors. Regarding these findings, this study has discussed the potential reasons and provided some practical suggestions to improve problematic Internet use among rural adolescents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addictive Behaviors and Mental Health in Adolescents and Young Adults)

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13 pages, 381 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Social Media Use and Its Association with Mental Health and Internet Addiction among Portuguese Higher Education Students during COVID-19 Confinement

by Ana Paula Oliveira, Joana Rita Nobre, Henrique Luis, Luis Soares Luis, Lara Guedes Pinho, Núria Albacar-Riobóo and Carlos Sequeira

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 664; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010664 - 30 Dec 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4096

Abstract

The use of social media was one of the most common way to keep in touch with friends and family during confinement. For higher education students, the fact that their universities were closed was a major change in their lives. The aim of this study is to relate the prevalence and type of social media with Internet addiction and mental health of university students in a district of Portugal during COVID-19 confinement. Mental health was studied by applying the reduced version of the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5) and to measure the Internet use and dependence, the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) was used. The study (cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational) used an online questionnaire, conducted on Google^® Forms and the link was sent to 4450 students, in the months of April to June 2020, during the confinement. A total of 329 valid questionnaires were obtained. We can conclude that regarding mental health, students in the 18–24 age group, single or divorced and who are not in a relationship, and with worse academic results, show worse levels of mental health. It is noteworthy that the students with the same characteristics also have the highest levels of addiction to internet. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addictive Behaviors and Mental Health in Adolescents and Young Adults)

15 pages, 1377 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Protective Role of Resilience in the Development of Social Media Addiction in Tertiary Students and Psychometric Properties of the Slovenian Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS)

by Mark Žmavc, Andrej Šorgo, Branko Gabrovec, Nuša Crnkovič, Katarina Cesar and Špela Selak

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13178; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013178 - 13 Oct 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3469

Abstract

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, social media became one of the most utilized sources of information relating to the disease. With the increased reliance on social media, the risk of excessive use and the development of social media addiction emerges. The aim of the present study was to explore the psychometric properties of the Slovenian version of the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, and to explore how psychological resilience affects social media addiction symptoms directly and indirectly through symptoms of depression, anxiety and mental distress. A large online cross-sectional study was conducted in March 2021 among Slovenian tertiary students (N = 4868). The results showed the high reliability, unidimensionality and criterion validity of the Slovenian Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale. The proposed structural model fit the data well and showed a significant direct positive effect of depression and stress on social media addiction. Moreover, the majority of the negative effects of psychological resilience on social media addiction (87.2%) were indirect, through depression and stress symptoms, whereas resilience had a significantly smaller impact on social media addiction by reducing anxiety symptoms. The overall prevalence of social media addiction symptoms was 4.6%, with females exhibiting higher proportions than men. Additionally, female social media users reported a complete absence of social media addiction symptoms less often compared to males. Future research should further explore the mechanisms behind social media addiction, in order to gain a better understanding of the apparently different risk levels for both genders. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addictive Behaviors and Mental Health in Adolescents and Young Adults)

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10 pages, 611 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Mediating Role of Loneliness and the Moderating Role of Gender between Peer Phubbing and Adolescent Mobile Social Media Addiction

by Xiao-Pan Xu, Qing-Qi Liu, Zhen-Hua Li and Wen-Xian Yang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(16), 10176; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191610176 - 17 Aug 2022

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3616

Abstract

Mobile social media addiction has been a pressing issue in adolescents. The present study examined the mediation of loneliness between peer phubbing and mobile social media addiction among Chinese adolescents and tested whether gender could moderate the direct and indirect effects of peer phubbing. A total of 830 adolescents between 11 and 18 years of age (M_age = 14.480, SD_age = 1.789) completed an anonymous self-report survey. The results showed that peer phubbing was positively associated with mobile social media addiction. Loneliness partially mediated peer phubbing and adolescent mobile social media addiction. There were significant gender differences in the direct and indirect effects of peer phubbing on mobile social media addiction. The direct effect of peer phubbing and the indirect effect through loneliness were relatively higher in girls than in boys. The results highlight the critical role of loneliness in linking peer phubbing to adolescent mobile social media addiction and the vital role of gender in moderating the direct and indirect impacts of peer phubbing. The findings promote a better understanding of how peer phubbing is associated with adolescent mobile phone addiction and for whom the effect of peer phubbing is potent. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addictive Behaviors and Mental Health in Adolescents and Young Adults)

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11 pages, 342 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Associations between Risk Factors in Late Adolescence and Problem Behaviors in Young Adulthood: A Six-Year Follow-Up of Substance Related and Behavioral Addictions in Swedish High School Seniors

by Claes Andersson and Anders Håkansson

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(23), 12766; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182312766 - 3 Dec 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1936

Abstract

Introduction: Risk factors of traditional substance use related problems in young adults are more well-known than for behavioral addictions such as gambling and gaming problems. The present study aims to provide knowledge about the longitudinal patters of substance use related and behavioral addictions in early adulthood. Methods: Using self-report surveys, substance-related, psychiatric, and demographic predictors were assessed in Swedish high school seniors and re-assessed six years later along with gambling and gaming problems, n = 800. Associations (Risk Ratios) between risk factors in late adolescence and problem behaviors in young adulthood were analyzed. Results: Tobacco use, illicit drug use, and hazardous drinking in young adulthood were associated with tobacco use, illicit drug use, alcohol use, conduct problems, and impaired impulse control in late adolescence. Gambling problems in young adulthood were only associated with heredity of alcohol problems, while gaming was not associated to any problem behavior in late adolescence. Conclusion: It is concluded that predictors for traditional substance-related addictions differ from predictors for behavioral addictions, and that this difference is more pronounced for gaming problems than for gambling problems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addictive Behaviors and Mental Health in Adolescents and Young Adults)

11 pages, 357 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Factors Associated with Smartphone Addiction Tendency in Korean Adolescents

by Ji-Hye Kim

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11668; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111668 - 6 Nov 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4226

Abstract

This study aims to identify the factors associated with smartphone addiction tendency in Korean adolescents. A convenience sample of 502 students from four middle schools participated in the survey for the assessment of demographic, personal factors (resilience and academic stress), environmental factors (parental support, teacher support, friend support, and bullying victimization), as well as smartphone addiction tendency. Smartphone addiction tendency was determined based on the Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale for Youth (SAPS) criteria developed by Kim et al. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-squared test, t-test, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and hierarchical logistic regression. Among the adolescents, 17.9% were in the smartphone addiction tendency group. The factors associated with smartphone addiction tendency were subjective economic level, academic stress, parental support, and bullying victimization. Based on the findings of this study, it is considered necessary to approach smartphone addiction management considering personal factors as well as environmental factors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addictive Behaviors and Mental Health in Adolescents and Young Adults)

10 pages, 1173 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Estimated Prevalence of Unreported IGD Cases in Routine Outpatient Children and Adolescent Psychotherapy

by Sonja Kewitz, Eva Vonderlin, Lutz Wartberg and Katajun Lindenberg

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(13), 6787; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18136787 - 24 Jun 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2718

Abstract

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) has been included in the DSM-5 as a diagnosis for further study, and Gaming Disorder as a new diagnosis in the ICD-11. Nonetheless, little is known about the clinical prevalence of IGD in children and adolescents. Additionally, it is unclear if patients with IGD are already identified in routine psychotherapy, using the ICD-10 diagnosis F 63.8 (recommended classification of IGD in ICD-10). This study investigated N = 358 children and adolescents (self and parental rating) of an outpatient psychotherapy centre in Germany using the Video Game Dependency Scale. According to self-report 4.0% of the 11- to 17-year-old patients met criteria for a tentative IGD diagnosis and 14.0% according to the parental report. Of the 5- to 10-year-old patients, 4.1% were diagnosed with tentative IGD according to parental report. Patients meeting IGD criteria were most frequently diagnosed with hyperkinetic disorders, followed by anxiety disorders, F 63.8, conduct disorders, mood disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders (descending order) as primary clinical diagnoses. Consequently, this study indicates that a significant amount of the clinical population presents IGD. Meaning, appropriate diagnostics should be included in routine psychological diagnostics in order to avoid “hidden” cases of IGD in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addictive Behaviors and Mental Health in Adolescents and Young Adults)

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20 pages, 1253 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Illicit Drug Use and Associated Problems in the Nightlife Scene: A Potential Setting for Prevention

by Kristin Feltmann, Tobias H. Elgán, Anna K. Strandberg, Pia Kvillemo, Nitya Jayaram-Lindström, Meryem Grabski, Jon Waldron, Tom Freeman, Helen Valerie Curran and Johanna Gripenberg

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(9), 4789; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094789 - 30 Apr 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 7326

Abstract

Illicit drug use is prevalent in the nightlife scene, especially at electronic dance music (EDM) events. The aim of the present study was to investigate illicit drug use patterns and consequences of drug use among frequent visitors of EDM events. Young adults (18–34 years old) who had visited at least six EDM events in Sweden during the past year participated in a web-based survey on drug use patterns and its consequences. Fifty-nine percent of participants had used illicit drugs during the past year, most often cannabis followed by ecstasy, cocaine, and amphetamine. Nightlife venues were identified as the main setting for the use of central stimulants, while cannabis was mostly used at home. Frequent alcohol and tobacco use was associated with illicit drug use. The most prevalent negative consequences of drug use were related to mental health, such as impairments in mood, sleep, and memory problems, but physical manifestations were also reported, such as palpitations and collapsing. These findings confirm that drug use is prevalent and associated with negative health effects among EDM nightlife attendees. The nightlife scene is a setting with promising potential to reach a high-risk target group with illicit drug use prevention interventions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addictive Behaviors and Mental Health in Adolescents and Young Adults)

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11 pages, 371 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Do Age and Educational Stage Influence No-Mobile-Phone Phobia?

by Antonio-Manuel Rodríguez-García, José-Antonio Marín-Marín, Juan-Antonio López-Núñez and Antonio-José Moreno-Guerrero

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(9), 4450; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094450 - 22 Apr 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3978

Abstract

Technological progress not only brings with it resources that improve and facilitate the day-to-day life of the people who make up society but also entails health risks, with the emergence of terms, such as nomophobia, which is considered an anxiety disorder produced by the fear that not having a mobile phone generates in a person. This research aims to identify the relationship and influence between levels of nomophobia and the age or educational stage of students. The research method is based on a correlational and predictive design of quantitative methodology. The instrument used is the NMP-Q questionnaire. The study population is students from different educational stages (obligatory secondary education, baccalaureate, vocational training and university). The results show that students over 12 years old present an average level of “nomophobia” (no-mobile-phone phobia), namely, not being able to communicate with the family where the highest levels are presented. We conclude that students over 12 years of age and of any educational stage present an average level of nomophobia, and it cannot be determined that either the educational stage or the age are determining factors in the presentation of this problem. This can occur at any age and at any level of the different educational stages, although there are risk indicators that we should bear in mind to avoid the appearance of nomophobia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addictive Behaviors and Mental Health in Adolescents and Young Adults)

10 pages, 1091 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Proposing and Validating the Diagnosis Scale for Internet Gaming Disorder in Taiwanese ADHD Adolescents: Likert Scale Method Based on the DSM-5

by Yue-Cune Chang and Ruu-Fen Tzang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(4), 1492; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041492 - 4 Feb 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3442

Abstract

The paper aims to adjust the Taiwanese version of Internet gaming disorder-short form Likert scale with Likert (IGD-SF-T-L) based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria to a Likert scale model and test its psychometric property among children and adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted for validity and the Cronbach’s α for reliability of IGD-SF-T-L. The ROC (receiver operating curves) was used to propose the cut-off point for assessing the instrument’s psychometric properties and its corresponding indices for the diagnostic accuracy. In total, 102 children and adolescents with ADHD were recruited. The construct validity of IGD-SF-T by CFA was model well fitted with excellent reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.918). The ROC using the Chen’s CIAS > 56 as the state variable for IGD diagnosis showed the AUC (areas under the curves) was 0.918. The cut-off point proposed for IGD-SF-T-L to indicate a diagnosis of IGD was ≥ 10. The corresponding indices of accuracy: sensitivity, specificity, LR (likelihood ratio) +, LR-, and AUC were 0.893, 0.826, 5.134, 0.130, and 0.859, respectively. The proposed IGD-SF-T-L is an adequate, standardized psychometrical measurement for diagnosing IGD among Taiwanese adolescents with ADHD. More attention should be paid toward recent ADHD youth with Internet gaming disorder and their family. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addictive Behaviors and Mental Health in Adolescents and Young Adults)

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12 pages, 630 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Worry and Permissive Parenting in Association with the Development of Internet Addiction in Children

by Barbara Chuen Yee Lo, Romance Nok Man Lai, Ting Kin Ng and Haobi Wang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(21), 7722; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17217722 - 22 Oct 2020

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 9858

Abstract

The Internet has experienced a rapid increase in use globally. Specifically, more than 90% of Hong Kong’s citizens use the Internet, and 70% of children in the age group of 6–17 years have daily access to it. However, internet addiction could pose serious social and health issues. Therefore, conducting research to investigate its causes and risk factors is fundamental. The current study examined the relationship between worry and Internet addiction among children in Hong Kong and investigated the moderating effect of the permissive parenting style on such a relationship. The participants consisted of 227 fourth- and fifth-grade students (120 males, 52.9%) with a mean age of 9.55 (standard deviation (SD) = 0.58) in Hong Kong. Each participant was asked to complete the questionnaires, including the Internet Addiction Test for Internet addiction, the Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children for worry, and the Parental Authority Questionnaire for the permissive parenting style. The results indicated that worry was related to greater Internet addiction among children. Furthermore, there was a moderating effect of the permissive parenting style such that the positive association between worry and Internet addiction was stronger when the permissive parenting style was higher. Our findings imply that parenting styles are influential in the prevention of Internet addiction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addictive Behaviors and Mental Health in Adolescents and Young Adults)

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