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Substance Use and Behavioral Addictions in Adolescents and Young Adults

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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 "Children's Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 24898

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Dr. Maria Luca

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Guest Editor

Centre for Addiction, Via Pò 2, 95031 Adrano, Italy
Interests: biological bases of mental disorders; liaison psychiatry; neurosciences
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Prof. Dr. Ornella Corazza

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Department of Clinical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL10 9EU, UK
Interests: substance misuse; novel psychoactive substances; behavioural addictions
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Dr. Giovanni Martinotti

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Guest Editor

1. Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Science, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
2. Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Clinical Science, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL10 9EU, UK
Interests: phenomenology; neuroimaging; psychiatry; analytical philosophy; neuron; clinical psychology; psychopathology; philosophy of language; continental philosophy; ontology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Substance use among adolescents and young adults is becoming a real emergency, with a considerable impact on their biopsychosocial health. This condition may be comorbid with psychiatric disturbances, triggering their onset or representing a contributor to poorer prognosis. Furthermore, the use of substances is often accompanied by risky behavior and might expose adolescents and young adults to a variety of medical consequences. Some examples of this include cocaine-induced toxic encephalopathy, toluene-related organ dysfunctions in glue sniffers, or the detrimental effects of alcohol and cannabis on the cognitive functioning of heavy abusers.

Following the successful release of the Special Issue “Substance Use and New Drug Trends in Adolescents”, we hereby propose a second edition, expanding the topic to behavioral addictions (gambling, gaming, pornography, shopping, cryptocurrency investment, etc.), which are becoming more and more frequent among youngsters.

In this Special Issue, we invite quantitative, qualitative and/or mixed methods research (original research papers, reviews, case reports, case series) including, but not limited to, the following topics:

Epidemiological data regarding the use and/or abuse of substances in adolescents and/or young adults;
Psychophysical consequences of substance use and/or abuse in adolescents and/or young adults;
Efficacy and feasibility of possible therapeutic interventions (pharmacological and/or psychological);
Diagnostic challenges related to the comorbidity between substance abuse and psychiatric disorders;
Substance use as self-medication;
Substance use and abuse in forensic psychiatry;
Substance use and/or abuse among patients with medical illness (e.g., HIV, multiple sclerosis, cancer);
Epidemiology of behavioral addictions in adolescents and/or young adults;
Treatment of behavioral addictions;
Psychosocial consequences of behavioral addictions in adolescents and/or young adults or their families.
There is no restriction on the length of the papers.

Dr. Maria Luca
Prof. Dr. Ornella Corazza
Dr. Giovanni Martinotti
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

substance use
behavioral addictions
psychophysical health
therapeutic interventions

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Related Special Issue

Substance Use and New Drug Trends in Adolescents in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (7 articles)

Published Papers (8 papers)

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13 pages, 2563 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dating App Use and Wellbeing: An Application-Based Pilot Study Employing Ecological Momentary Assessment and Objective Measures of Use

by Gabriel Bonilla-Zorita, Mark D. Griffiths and Daria J. Kuss

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(9), 5631; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20095631 - 25 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4851

Abstract

Smartphones are part of individuals’ daily lifestyles, as are smartphone applications such as dating apps. Previous evidence suggests that high engagement in dating applications can be detrimental to some users’ wellbeing. However, much of the published research has relied on cross-sectional studies and self-report measures. Therefore, the present study aims to overcome the limitations of subjective measures in cross-sectional designs by investigating for the first time the relationship between dating app users’ wellbeing (self-esteem, craving and mood) and objective measures of their use during a one-week period. To do this, the present study employed a newly developed application, DiaryMood and utilized ecological momentary assessment (EMA), as it measured subjects’ mood, self-esteem and craving three times per day and the time spent using the dating apps per day during one week. A convenience sample of 22 online dating app users participated in the present study. Findings from a three-level multilevel analysis indicated that increased time spent on dating apps predicted craving among dating app users and that notifications led to an improved mood and higher self-esteem. The results are discussed in relation to previous online dating studies. In sum, the present study sets a precedent for the use of EMA within the scope of online dating research, which may promote further studies adopting this methodology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Substance Use and Behavioral Addictions in Adolescents and Young Adults)

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34 pages, 2467 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Psycho-Social Correlates of Cyberbullying among Polish Adolescents

by Sławomir Rębisz, Aleksandra Jasińska-Maciążek, Paweł Grygiel and Roman Dolata

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(8), 5521; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20085521 - 14 Apr 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3612

Abstract

Cyberbullying has recently attracted attention due to its increasing prevalence and serious consequences for both victims and perpetrators. The objective of this population-based study was to examine the determinants of a person becoming a perpetrator of cyberbullying, including personal resources (emotional self-regulation, self-esteem, internal locus of control, optimism), social skills (prosocial behavior, assertiveness, cognitive empathy, cooperation), peer relationships (peer support, threats from peers, peer rejection, dislike of peers), and problematic Internet use (excessive Internet use, impulsive reactions to Internet deprivation). Participants (N = 541) were students at elementary schools (age 14–15) in Ostroleka, a city in central-eastern Poland. Two-part regression was used to explore protective/risk factors of the likelihood of an individual using cyberviolence (dichotomous part: involvement in violence) and how often it is used (continuous part: frequency of cyberbullying). The results showed that the emotional component is crucial to cyberbullying, as indicated by the importance of emotional self-control, which reduces the frequency of cyberbullying. Other important factors are assertiveness, impulsive response to limited Internet access (which increases the likelihood of engaging in cyberbullying) and fear of peers (which reduces its frequency). In turn, the importance of pro-sociality (which inhibits engagement) and peer support (which promotes engagement) points to the second important component of cyberbullying—that is, group mechanisms. At the same time, the results indicate that while the importance of Internet addiction as a risk factor for cyberbullying should not be underestimated, the amount of time spent online cannot be seen as the source of the problem. The study leads to the conclusion that effective interventions targeting cyberbullying should focus on the development of more adaptive styles of coping with emotions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Substance Use and Behavioral Addictions in Adolescents and Young Adults)

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9 pages, 863 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Trends in Tobacco Use among 9th Graders in Sweden, 1991–2020

by Jonas Raninen, Isabella Gripe, Martina Zetterqvist and Mats Ramstedt

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(7), 5262; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20075262 - 25 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1892

Abstract

Tobacco use was measured with self-reports of lifetime use of cigarettes and snus to examine trends in tobacco use among Swedish 9th graders over the period 1991–2020. Annual school surveys with nationally representative samples of 9th-grade students in Sweden covering the period 1991–2020 with a total sample of 163,617 students. We distinguished between the use of cigarettes only, use of snus only, dual use (use of both cigarettes and snus), and total tobacco use (use of any of these tobacco products). In addition to a graphical description of trends in the various measures of tobacco use, the correlation between these trends was calculated with the Pearson correlation coefficient (Rxy). The prevalence of total tobacco use declined from 72% in 1991 to 36% in 2020. The declining trend in total tobacco use was positively correlated with the trend in dual use (Rxy = 0.98) and the trend in cigarette use only (Rxy = 0.87). The trend in total tobacco use was, on the other hand, negatively correlated with snus use only (Rxy = −0.41), and snus use only was negatively correlated with cigarette use only (Rxy = −0.71). The situation became different after 2017 when total tobacco use increased as a result of an increasing prevalence of snus use. The sharp decline in tobacco use among 9th graders in Sweden over the past three decades is driven by declining cigarette use. The correlations between the various forms of tobacco use suggest that snus use may have contributed to the decline in cigarette use and, by that, overall tobacco use. The situation changed after 2017 when a sharp rise in snus use seems to have increased total tobacco use among adolescents in Sweden. A possible explanation behind this development is the introduction of a new form of snus called “All white snus”, which was introduced in Sweden in 2014. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Substance Use and Behavioral Addictions in Adolescents and Young Adults)

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14 pages, 770 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mental Health and Personality Characteristics of University Students at Risk of Smartphone Overdependence

by Bo-Kyung Seo, Yoobin Hwang and Hyunseob Cho

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2331; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032331 - 28 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2105

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to verify the relationship between the risk of smartphone dependence, mental health, and personality traits in university students using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF), and to identify the MMPI-2-RF scales that can predict the risk of smartphone dependence. Of the 772 university students who participated in the study, 163 were in the smartphone overdependence group, accounting for 21.1% of the total survey respondents, which was one in five of those surveyed. High T-scores on the measure indicate greater psychopathology. The smartphone overdependence group had significantly higher T-scores than the general user group on all but three of the MMPI-2-RF scales, and the degree of smartphone overdependence was positively correlated with scores on these scales. There was no difference between the dependent and non-dependent groups on the interpersonal passivity, aesthetic-literary interest, and aggression scales, and scores on these three were not correlated with smartphone dependence. Among the MMPI-2-RF scales, those found to predict the risk of smartphone overdependence were the emotional/internalizing problems, behavioral/externalizing problems, antisocial behavior, cognitive complaints, helplessness/hopelessness, inefficacy, juvenile conduct problems, aggression, interpersonal problems, disconstraint, negative emotionality/neuroticism, and introversion/low positive introversion/low positive emotionality scales. Based on these findings, we propose that effective prevention and intervention for smartphone overdependence must be comprehensive and holistic rather than focusing on specific aspects of mental health or personality. The implications of the findings are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Substance Use and Behavioral Addictions in Adolescents and Young Adults)

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17 pages, 796 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Factors Associated with Self-Reported Changes in Alcohol Use among Young Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Analysis between Canada and France

by Pierre-Julien Coulaud, Guillaume Airagnes, Kai McGrath, Naseeb Bolduc, Karine Bertrand, Marie Jauffret-Roustide and Rod Knight

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 16694; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416694 - 12 Dec 2022

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Abstract

While the COVID-19 pandemic impacted young adults’ alcohol use patterns, little is known about how changes in alcohol use may differ across different settings. Our objective was to identify and compare factors associated with changes in alcohol use among young adults in Canada and France during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted an online cross-sectional survey in October–December 2020 with young adults aged 18–29 (n = 5185) in Canada and France. In each country, weighted multinomial logistic regressions were performed to identify factors associated with self-reported decrease and increase in alcohol use separately (reference: no change). Respectively, 33.4% and 21.4% reported an increase in alcohol use in Canada and France, while 22.9% and 33.5% reported a decrease. Being 25–29 was a predictor of decrease in Canada, while living away from family was associated with an increase in France. In both countries, participants were more likely to report an increase if they reported depressive symptoms, smoking tobacco, or cannabis use. Conversely, those who had been tested for COVID-19 and those who were highly compliant with COVID-19 preventive measures were more likely to report a decrease. Efforts are needed to develop alcohol use interventions for young adults, including in ways that prioritize those with mental health challenges. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Substance Use and Behavioral Addictions in Adolescents and Young Adults)

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24 pages, 1388 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Co-Occurrence of Gaming Disorder and Other Potentially Addictive Behaviours between Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom

by Tyrone L. Burleigh, Mark D. Griffiths, Alexander Sumich, Grace Y. Wang, Vasileios Stavropoulos, Lee Kannis-Dymand and Daria J. Kuss

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 16078; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192316078 - 1 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3381

Abstract

Background: Evidence suggests that gamers can have varying experiences of disordered gaming behaviours due to coping mechanisms and how they can act as risk or protective factor in the development and/or maintenance of disordered behaviours. A particular area of interest is how this may manifest across different countries. Understanding the interplay of these potential risk and protective factors within different countries will aid identifying and preventing disordered behaviours. Methods: Three cohorts were recruited from Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Each cohort was required to complete a battery of psychometric scales exploring problematic behaviours, problematic substance use, co-occurrence, coping styles, and personality. A latent profile analysis was conducted to examine the differences between cohorts and further investigated with additional analyses. Results: The findings suggested that a minority of gamers were affected by gaming disorder, and there appeared an at-risk cohort who utilise gaming as a maladaptive coping strategy. Other accompanying potentially addictive behaviour or substance use may be exacerbated as a result, the manifestation of which can be influenced by cultural elements. Conclusions: When considering gamers from countries which hold similar views, it is important to be cognisant of the variations found in the manifestations of disordered gaming and accompanying potentially addictive behaviours. This will allow for a more precise identification of at-risk behaviours, which will result in more favourable treatment outcomes for those who are considered at-risk or high-risk individuals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Substance Use and Behavioral Addictions in Adolescents and Young Adults)

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18 pages, 424 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Online Behaviours during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Associations with Psychological Factors: An International Exploratory Study

by Julius Burkauskas, Naomi A. Fineberg, Konstantinos Ioannidis, Samuel R. Chamberlain, Henrietta Bowden-Jones, Inga Griskova-Bulanova, Aiste Pranckeviciene, Artemisa R. Dores, Irene P. Carvalho, Fernando Barbosa, Pierluigi Simonato, Ilaria De Luca, Rosin Mooney, Maria Ángeles Gómez-Martínez, Zsolt Demetrovics, Krisztina Edina Ábel, Attila Szabo, Hironobu Fujiwara, Mami Shibata, Alejandra R. Melero-Ventola, Eva M. Arroyo-Anlló, Ricardo M. Santos-Labrador, Kei Kobayashi, Francesco Di Carlo, Cristina Monteiro, Giovanni Martinotti and Ornella Corazza Show full author list Hide full author list

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(14), 8823; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148823 - 20 Jul 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3017

Abstract

This cross-sectional study aimed to explore specific online behaviours and their association with a range of underlying psychological and other behavioural factors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eight countries (Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, Portugal, Japan, Hungary, and Brazil) participated in an international investigation involving 2223 participants (M = 33 years old; SD = 11), 70% of whom were females. Participants were surveyed for specific type of Internet use severity, appearance anxiety, self-compassion, and image and use of performance-enhancing drugs (IPEDs). Results were compared cross-culturally. The mean time spent online was 5 h (SD = ±3) of daily browsing during the pandemic. The most commonly performed activities included social networking, streaming, and general surfing. A strong association between these online behaviours and appearance anxiety, self-compassion, and IPEDs use was found after adjustment for possible confounders, with higher scores being associated with specific online activities. Significant cross-cultural differences also emerged in terms of the amount of time spent online during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Substance Use and Behavioral Addictions in Adolescents and Young Adults)

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10 pages, 343 KiB

Open AccessCase Report

Internet Gaming Disorders and Early Onset Psychosis in Young People: A Case Study and Clinical Observations

by Valerio Ricci, Domenico De Berardis, Giuseppe Maina and Giovanni Martinotti

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 3920; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20053920 - 22 Feb 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2839

Abstract

Background: Over the last ten years, the video game industry has grown exponentially, involving about 2.5 billion young adults in the world. The estimated global prevalence of gaming addiction has been reported to be 3.5% ranging from 0.21% to 57.5% in the general population. Moreover, during the recent COVID-19 pandemic period, school closures and stay-at-home measures have also further increased the opportunities for prolonged and intensified playing of video games. Little is known about the relationship between IGD and psychosis, and the literature is still scarce. Some characteristics of patients with psychosis, particularly those with a first-episode psychosis (FEP), may suggest that these individuals would be particularly liable to develop IGD. Case presentation: We report two cases of young patients with to Internet gaming disorder, experiencing early onset psychosis treated with antipsychotic therapy. Conclusion: Although it is difficult to show the specific mechanisms underlying the psychopathological alterations in IGD, it is clear that excessive exposure to video games could be a risk factor for precipitating psychosis especially in a vulnerable age group such as adolescence. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of a higher risk of psychotic onset associated specifically with gaming disorders in very young people. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Substance Use and Behavioral Addictions in Adolescents and Young Adults)

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