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Social media addiction during public unrest is a known phenomenon. Prior research has offered several drivers and theories to explain users’ addictive behavior in this context. However, those investigations barely view this behavior from the lens of immigrant populations, a group of users whose access to information about unrest in their home country, unlike others, is solely limited to online platforms such as social media. In this research-in-progress paper, we aim to address this gap in the literature. Specifically, we draw our arguments on the opponent-process and belongingness theories and develop a theoretical model to test the moderating role of immigrants’ sense of belonging to their home country on the opposing effects of social contribution and feeling of withdrawal experienced by immigrants during public unrest. Finally, we conclude the paper by discussing its potential theoretical and practical contributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article considers the current stage in the development of preventive pedagogical activity by means of a new term - pedagogical prevention of addictive behavior in educational environment. It shows that adolescents' unproductive coping behavior strategies can become the markers of addictive behavior at the stage of primary prevention. The purpose of this article is to explore the possibilities of psychodiagnostics Internet-addictive behavior among pupils. The main research methods are pedagogical experiment, monitoring, testing, conversation, and statistical methods for the processing of the research results. The hypothesis of this study is the assumption that the phenomenon of Internet-addiction as one of the types of addictive behavior of adolescents is characterized by a high level of use of unproductive coping strategies. The paper presents the results of an experimental study conducted in the educational organization of the city of Cheboksary of the Chuvash Republic. The obtained results state that both a high level of development of productive coping strategies and personal resources in adolescents are the markers of any type of addictive behavior, including Internet addiction, at the level of primary pedagogical prevention. The article has theoretical and practical significance for teachers, social workers and psychologists, engaged in the development and implementation of educational programs of pedagogical prevention of Internet-addictive behavior in the educational environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I conceptualize a practice-based framework of digital consumer wisdom by mapping Luchs and Mick's (2018) five-facet consumer wisdom onto the domain of digital consumption. Doing so results in a conceptual framework centered on consumer practices in the digital domain that are reflective of a high degree of consumer wisdom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The so called "N-generation" or the "Digital natives" extensive use of computers and Internet resources have been widely discussed in research, but there are different opinions on how good their general computer skills are seen from a Computer science perspective. Considering digital gaming there seem to be stronger indications supporting the concept of a new generation with new habits. Most students in the group from where data has been collected for this study have gaming experiences from early pre-school childhood and will therefore in this paper be called "Digital gaming natives". Gaming has also been a considerable part of their later childhood and they are all enrolled for studies on computer game construction. The aim of this paper is to analyse and discuss digital native gamers’ gaming habits and how excessive gaming might have disturbed school studies or other social activities. Data has been collected from a course batch of 30 students following a university programme for Game construction at a department of Computer science. Out of the 28 students that wrote essays about their gaming habits 6 are female and 22 are male. A content analysis was conducted based on the student essays that were submitted and discussed online in a course on Games-based learning. Students’ experiences from gaming habits and study habits were also discussed at course seminars and have later been discussed with other teachers. Findings show that the Digital gaming natives’ gaming habits definitely are strong and that they in many situations have clashed with the informants’ study habits. In several cases parents have created gaming restrictions and there are examples of students’ self-restrictions, but there exist also examples of when excessive nightly gaming have interfered with the daily school work. Almost all students’ defend their gaming and claim that it has given them a richer life with nice experiences even if there are risks of addiction and displacement. One student wrote in his essay that: "Generally, gaming is a fantastic possibility to escape daily routines for a while to be immersed, to discover and to learn. At the same time this can lead to less pleasant states like compulsive gaming or addiction." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To help refine the conceptualization and diagnosis of gambling disorders, this paper investigates the distribution in the general population of U.S. gamblers of the 10 criteria for Pathological Gambling in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV). Design: We analyze data from two stratified random sample surveys of gambling behavior and consequences among adults (total N=2,947). These telephone and in-person surveys employed lay interviewers to screen for lifetime prevalence of Pathological Gambling using a fully structured questionnaire module based on DSM-IV definitions. Findings: Individual criteria for Pathological Gambling distribute differently among gamblers with varying numbers of self-reported criteria. Most gamblers meeting only 1 or 2 criteria reported chasing their losses. At higher subclinical levels (3-4 criteria), gamblers reported elevated rates of gambling-related fantasy: lying, gambling to escape, and preoccupation. Pathological gamblers (5-7 criteria) reported marked elevations of internalizing and externalizing dependence criteria: loss of control, withdrawal symptoms, and tolerance; and needing to be bailed out financially and risking of social relationships. Severe pathological gamblers (8-10 criteria) additionally reported committing illegal acts to support gambling. Conclusions: Biobehavioral dependence appears to be a hallmark of Pathological Gambling, but it marks only one threshold in a qualitative hierarchy of disorders. Epidemiological assessments and future DSM revisions should consider explicit recognition of a Problem Gambling disorder, identifying persons presenting some cognitive symptoms of Pathological Gambling but not clear signs of dependence. There also appear to be two distinct levels of severity of Pathological Gambling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two distinct medical disciplines treat addiction in the United States: addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry. This paper argues that physicians recovering from alcoholism or drug abuse played a key role in creating the field of addiction medicine, and that the development of addiction medicine inadvertently contributed to the formation of addiction psychiatry. Addiction medicine's undercurrent of recovery, specifically questions about the knowledge that recovering physicians call on to treat addiction, remains central to an ongoing professional conflict between addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study take a techno-centric view and explore the role of technology in social media addiction from the affordance perspective. Drawing on the needs-affordances-features perspective and fit theory, we conceptualize the relationship between a user’s need and a social media affordance as the needaffordance fit. Specifically, the current study investigates how this fit influences user behavior on social media, particularly social media addiction. The current study aims to generate several important implications. First, by discussing how a social media affordance fits with a user’s need and eventually leads to social media addiction, this study underscores the role of technology in social media addiction at the forefront. Secondly, focusing on the potential outcomes of social media addiction, the need-affordance fit can serve as a mapping tool for organizations and individuals to identify what needs are driving behavior based on the most commonly used affordances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem: What are the consequences when someone clicks like on a page, picture, or video on a social network? What is the effect of this transaction in terms of marketing forces and economic value, and what are consequences for security and privacy? We explored the new digital marketing perils of like in this research. Social networking sites are filled with behavioral data that includes consumers' positive reactions to text, pictures, or video, called likes. Transaction streams that result from likes create a chain of economic value. That value is worth studying by marketers for the economic as well as ethical reasons. Marketing analysts are looking at the potential solutions to better understand the value and risks of a like/share on social media. This study will examine how companies are sifting through the data from social networking to create economic value. As a result, the security and privacy of those who "liked" a topic, picture, or video are affected, with the "likers" receiving consequent spam. The companies responsible for that spam, known as "like farms," are popping up globally, concerning ethical marketers and users alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study conducted by K. Damon Aiken, Colleen Bee, Keven Malkewitz, and Richard Campbell, focusing on compulsive consumption among fans of the FIFA World Cup. The research aims to validate the Compulsive Sport Consumption (CSC) scale, extend its application to international World Cup fans, and explore withdrawal symptoms and coping strategies among highly compulsive fans after the tournament.

While the brunt of video game research has focused on negative behavioral outcomes of video game play, recent anecdotal and empirical evidence has led scholars to pursue explanations of another behavioral outcome of game play: addiction. This paper establishes game addiction as a media process addiction with 4 unique factors: social ramifications of play, excessive play, uncontrollable play, and displacement. Addiction is found to be correlated with individual's perceptions of online games, as well as personality traits identified using the NEO-FFI scale. Implications for these results are discussed, as well as applications and recommendations for future research. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet is a mixed blessing. Truly the world is at our fingertips with the touch of a mouse. We can communicate with someone half way around the world as easily as we can someone across town. It provides an endless resource for study, research and of course for meeting people. But the Internet has a dark side in which pornography is also available by the click of a mouse. How did Internet penetration impact Eastern Europe? What are the challenges of this new Garden of Eden? Is there a certain age when the pleasure and power of the Internet pornography creates a special fascination? How the evolution of the addiction to pornography operates and what are the consequences? What is the prescription that the Scripture gives us? Can an addicted person find some common grace wisdom to be free again? The paper ends by offering a solution, a clear path to healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using self-reported measures for compulsive smartphone use introduces biases. According to the extended version of the social value framework, the extent to which self-reports are prone to social desirability responding (SDR) bias is further going to vary between individuals. The impact of these individual factors on self-reported smartphone use has not been researched extensively. We use an explorative mixed-method approach combining real-world smartphone usage data collected through mobile data donations and relate them to survey instruments capturing the users' ability to self-assess their use and self-reported compulsive use. We contribute to IS literature by employing cluster analysis to derive four distinct types of smartphone users based on their self-reporting behavior (unaware user, light user, heavy user, aware user). We show that, unlike demographic variables, screen time might be an indicator of whether users over- or underestimate their use and that high IT mindfulness and compulsive smartphone use can coexist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is the fourth most common mental illness (lifetime prevalence of 2-3 percent). Sufferers face a chronic, debilitating, perhaps life long illness with ambiguous treatment options. Yet little research exists on the help-seeking trajectory of the illness. This study is a qualitative approach to understanding how OCD sufferers come to recognize their illness and seek treatment. A sample of 20 respondents were gathered off the Internet (to reach those that may not seek a traditional diagnosis). Respondents provided in-depth answers to a list of questions through e-mail. Analysis was based on a constructivist version of grounded theory (Charmaz 2002). Results indicate the common trajectory for respondents includes the following stages: recognizing there is a problem, giving it a name, finding treatment, and learning to live with the illness. However, there is much heterogeneity within these stages. Respondents differ on whether they desire a professional diagnosis or use other sources for diagnosis and treatment. A number recognized they had OCD from TV or magazines, indicating the importance of popular culture in disseminating information on mental illness. A number of respondents had negative encounters with medical professionals (including one who did not know what OCD was), indicating a serious problem sufferers face when seeking treatment. Respondents tried various treatments, including some alternative approaches. Finally, having OCD often meant in the long run finding ways to live with it on a daily basis. The Internet played an important role, as a means of information to social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the popularity of the social network sites (SNS) such as Facebook among young people worldwide. Topics discussed include information on the compulsive behavior of youth towards the social media; discussions on the use of the social media for providing the children's rights in education and child development; and the information on the psychological impacts of the social media on the children's physical health.

The article focuses on the online content analysis of celebrity worshippers. Topics include the degree to which individuals participating in online forums about celebrity obsession exhibited or expressed the phenomena of compulsive behaviors, how celebrity obsession may negatively impact romantic relationships as potential rivals, including celebrities with whom a partner is obsessed, may also evoke feelings of jealousy.

The article discusses a study which assessed the heterogeneity of excessive buyers in the bi-dimensional space represented by the buying compulsivity and the buying impulsivity dimension. Latent profile analysis was used to examine heterogeneity. The researchers conducted a survey of a recent buying lapse. It was found that buyers were composed of two segments, including those with high buying compulsivity.

As people increasingly play with video games, the concerns regarding the risks associated with heavy playing activities intensify. Scholarly interest for determining factors of a phenomenon called video-game addiction has led to a line of research in this area. Borrowing from Lee and LaRose's (2007) socio-cognitive model of video game consumption, this study extends previous findings about the relationships between deficient self-control, habitual media use and video game consumption to further establish an explanatory model for predicting problematic video game playing behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is twofold: one is to identify factors of online game addiction. Using a series of multidimensional factor analyses, we identified 3 factors: failure of self-control, escapism, positive evaluation of online experiences. The other is to investigate how these factors are influenced by the basic psychological needs articulated by the self-determination theory. Using structural equation modeling, we examined how autonomy, competence, and relatedness influenced overall life satisfaction, which, in turn, affected the three factors of online game addiction. The data, collected from 8th graders, adequately fit the hypothesized model. Through latent mean analysis, gender differences were also examined. The male students appeared to have higher levels of failure of addictive behaviors than the female students, and the females appeared to have higher levels of relatedness. The paths coefficients among the constructs, however, did not show statistically significant differences. The implication of the results is that enhancing autonomy, competence, and relatedness would be an effective approach for the female as well as the male adolescents for reducing online game addictive behaviors. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the link between media consumption and eating disorders has been widely studied, most research has sampled mostly European American (EA) adult or adolescent women, despite evidence that disordered eating is on the rise among African Americans (AA) and preadolescents. A longitudinal panel survey of 315 EA and AA preadolescent boys and girls revealed that television exposure, after controlling for age, perceived body size, selective exposure based on interest in ideal-body television, and time 1 disordered eating, significantly predicted disordered eating one year later for EA and AA girls but not for boys. Findings suggest that disordered eating is no longer just a problem among EA girls. Results also highlight the need for continued investigation into which type of television content (e.g., advertising versus entertainment) is more consequential vis-à-vis preadolescents' eating behaviors. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the Internet and its role in everyday life have changed over time, online communication has become an important aspect. Simultaneously, problems regarding pathological Internet use arise. So far, however, research focusing on excessive online communication as a form of addiction is rare. Thus, there is still debate about whether it can be regarded as a separate form of pathological Internet use. This study investigates potential addiction-related characteristics concerning online communication. Results of the survey conducted (N = 156) show that a tendency towards online communication addiction is related to a tendency towards Internet addiction in general (r = .904, p < .001). Further, positive correlations to general psychological-psychiatric symptoms (r = .429; p < .001) and perceived offline social support (r = .260; p < .01) were found, the latter contrary to expectations. In a stepwise regression analysis, the motive of escapism, psychological-psychiatric symptoms and communication with people never met face-to-face showed to be significant predictors for a tendency towards online communication addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1990, we have seen a spate of laws enacted regarding sex offenders, from harsher sentences to registration and notification to civil commitment. Despite this fact, the penalties for their offenses never quite satisfy the public, who continues to demand that these "monsters" and "predators" be condemned even further - forever, if possible. That is not possible, however. In fact, despite the rise in severe sanctions for offenders, most offenders serve their sentence in the community. When sex offenders are serving time in the community, they are often under some form of supervision that is inadequate in achieving its aim - effective supervision. In the late 1980's and early 1990's non-violent drug offenders were similar victims of "revolving door" justice. Instead of simply prosecuting these offenders and then imprisoning them, drug courts attempt to address the underlying drug addiction that compelled users to commit theft or sell drugs to support their own habit. Much like many drug offenses, many sex offenses seem to be patterned behavior; offenders seem to have the same types of offenses with the same types of victims, lending some support to the idea that sex offenders have some similarities to drug offenders. Based on this assumption, it seems reasonable to believe that we should create and utilize specialized sex offender courts, which can address sex offenders' underlying addictions through treatment and graduated levels of community supervision. These specialized sex offender courts should be based upon the therapeutic jurisprudence approach used in drug courts and other problem-solving courts. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agnew's (1993) General Strain Theory (GST) is currently one of the most popular and frequently tested criminological theories. Unfortunately, many empirical tests of GST have been limited by using samples of high school and college students. As such, these studies are limited in the number of strain producing behaviors that can be examined. The current study seeks to extend this research by exploring the role of problem gambling in producing a variety of deviant outcomes. Using the adult sample in the Gambling Impact and Behavior Study, this study will assess the relationship between negative outcomes associated with problematic gambling and a number of deviant behaviors including drug use and crime. Further, the mediating role of negative affect and alternative coping strategies will be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated how Internet user characteristics and motives predicted Internet addiction. In this study, we drew on prior addiction research in an effort to synthesize prior thinking on the current subject, and attempt to conceptualize Internet addiction in a manner that was consistent with conceptualizations of addiction in other contexts, such as addiction to substances or alcohol. The results of this study suggested that Internet addiction was manifested in different ways. Here we identified three dimensions of Interent addiction according to the intensitiy or progress of addiction; intrusion, escaping reality, and attachment. Amount of Internet use was an important predictor of two of the three manifestations of addiction identified here: intrusion and escaping reality. Three different dimensions of Interent addiction were predicted by different sets of user background characteristics and motives for using the internet. The results supported tenets of uses and gratification theory (U&G). U&G suggests that media effects are the result of media consumers' individual differences (e.g., social and psychological circumstances), motives for using media, and media use (e.g., selectivity and exposure) working together. If, as the results suggest, some forms of addiction are more intense and more detrimental than others, then future research should be directed toward identifying with greater specificity exactly what background characteristics for using the Internet explain and help us understand better how addiction is manifested and which users are more susceptible to these different manifestations of addiction. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a scale to measure computer and videogame addiction. Inspired by earlier theories and research on game and internet addiction, we created 21 items to measure seven criteria for game addiction (i.e., salience, tolerance, mood modification, relapse, withdrawal, conflict, and problems). The dimensionality, reliability, and validity of these items and criteria were investigated in a survey among 644 Dutch adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age. We used exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to test different first- and second-order factor models that varied in item length (21 vs. 14 vs. 7 items). Although both 21-item and 14-item second-order factor models resulted in acceptable model fits, the most parsimonious 7-item model clearly provided the best fit. Convergent and criterion-related validity tests provided further evidence of a solid theory-based instrument to measure game addiction. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compulsive Internet use has been associated with loneliness, social anxiety and, in some studies, deteriorated social relationships. Almost all conclusions about the relationship effects of compulsive Internet use are based on studies that did not include the relationship partner. In order to better understand the role of compulsive Internet use in social relationships we conducted a study among both partners of 199 newlywed couples. The results show that frequent and compulsive Internet use is associated with several indicators of low relationship quality as reported by both husbands and wives. Both husbands and wives report lower intimacy in their relationship when they use the Internet frequently and compulsively. Several cross partner effects occur. Husbands report less passion in their relationship, an impression that is shared by their partners. Frequent and compulsive Internet use among wives is associated with more loneliness within the relationship among their husbands. The results are discussed in terms of the mechanisms that underlie the link between compulsive Internet use and relationship quality. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]