Unique versus shared associations between self-reported behavioral addictions and substance use disorders and mental health problems: A commonality analysis in a large sample of young Swiss men

Abstract

Background and aims: Behavioral addictions (BAs) and substance use disorders (SUDs) tend to co-occur; both are associated with mental health problems (MHPs). This study aimed to estimate the proportion of variance in the severity of MHPs explained by BAs and SUDs, individually and shared between addictions. Methods: A sample of 5,516 young Swiss men (mean = 25.47 years old; SD = 1.26) completed a self-reporting questionnaire assessing alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco use disorders, illicit drug use other than cannabis, six BAs (Internet, gaming, smartphone, Internet sex, gambling, and work) and four MHPs (major depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, social anxiety disorder, and borderline personality disorder). Commonality analysis was used to decompose the variance in the severity of MHPs explained (R 2) by BAs and SUDs into independent commonality coefficients. These were calculated for unique BA and SUD contributions and for all types of shared contributions. Results: BAs and SUDs explained between a fifth and a quarter of the variance in severity of MHPs, but individual addictions explained only about half of this explained variance uniquely; the other half was shared between addictions. A greater proportion of variance was explained uniquely or shared within BAs compared to SUDs, especially for social anxiety disorder. Conclusions: The interactions of a broad range of addictions should be considered when investigating their associations with MHPs. BAs explain a larger part of the variance in MHPs than do SUDs and therefore play an important role in their interaction with MHPs.

Co-occurrences of substance use and other potentially addictive behaviors: Epidemiological results from the Psychological and Genetic Factors of the Addictive Behaviors (PGA) Study

“…In the literature, there have been only a few studies focusing on a wide spectrum of substance use and potentially addictive behaviors, most previous studies focused on the association between substance use and gambling and/or gaming. A very recent study however, investigated the shared associations between self-reported behavioral addictions and substance use disorders and mental health problems (Marmet et al, 2019). Their results showed that behavior addictions and substance use disorders explained between a fifth and a quarter of the variance in severity of mental health problems (major depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, social anxiety disorder, and borderline personality disorder) and that the individual addictions explained only about half of this explained variance uniquely, the other half was shared between addictions.…”

Technology-Based Psychosocial Interventions for People with Borderline Personality Disorder: A Scoping Review of the Literature

“…These contradictions do not emerge from the included studies, but are developed from other research on Internet interventions on other mental disorders. (1) Mobile apps and web-based treatments should be delivered cautiously with those at risk or already having comorbid behavioral addictions such as nomophobia, Internet addiction, and/ or gaming disorder [44][45][46]. 2Virtual therapeutic communities should be avoided or monitored in those with higher baseline hostility levels, who in turn are at greater risk of online peer rejection and also cyberbullying [47,48].…”

Prosocialness in young males with substance and behavioral addictions

“…One is that problem gamblers, particularly those who have a preference for machines, tend to suspend social exchange in order to insulate in a private "zone" of interaction with the machine away from other people (Sch€ ull, 2014). Another explanation may be that behavioral addictions are more strongly related to social anxiety disorders than are substance addictions (Marmet et al, 2019). Indeed, social anxiety has been associated with lower levels of prosocialness (Stoltenberg, Christ, & Carlo, 2013).…”

“…Third, the use of multiple scales to measure different types of addiction opens up the possibility of investigating the effects of multiple concurrent addictions. Previous research on polysubstance addiction has shown it to be associated with younger age (Kedia, Sell, & Relyea, 2007), greater impulsivity (Moody, Franck, Hatz, & Bickel, 2016), and mental health problems (Marmet et al, 2019). With regards to interpersonal relationships, other studies assessing the personality traits of people with addiction concluded that polysubstance users scored higher on antisocial personality traits (Koller, Preuss, L€ u, Soyka, & Pogarell, 2015) and psychoticism (Martinotti, Carli, et al, 2009) than single-substance users.…”