Zsolt Demetrovics

University of Gibraltar · Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming

How the Internet is used and any negative outcomes of engagement with it—especially with regards to children—is a topic of great interest, bearing legitimate investigation. Proposed identifiers of problematic internet use(PIU) include aspects of use in correlation with distress or impairment across biological, psychological, sociological, and/or oc...

The present chapter revisits the prevailing data business model of the social media industry and explains how it stands in conflict with psycho-developmental tasks in children and adolescents. In this realm, issues surrounding the current “APIcalypse” (based on the term application program interfaces (APIs); closed APIs hindering the study of socia...

Research interest in problematic gaming has increased considerably in the past decade leading the World Health Organization to classify ‘gaming disorder’ (GD) as a formal diagnosis in 2019. This chapter describes the current state of knowledge in relation to minors, as well as future research on GD along with recommendations for important stakehold...

Researchers are increasingly asking questions about the complex ways in which digital media transects family life for the purpose of understanding health and development. Most research in this domain is informed by theoretical models that champion the primacy of individuals (i.e., the child). However, family systems theory (FST) has long emphasized...

Given the ability to use the internet and applications that are both immediately accessible and highly rewarding to users, concern exists regarding the development of excessive and dysregulated smartphone use (also known as ‘smartphone addiction’). This chapter reviews the current state of research on dysregulated smartphone use, identifies gaps in...

This chapter summarizes the current literature on gambling and gambling disorders among youth. The emergence of online gambling, together with the legalization, social acceptance, and appearance of new forms of gambling or gambling-related factors, such as internet gambling, daily fantasy sports, and sports betting or loot boxes, may raise particul...

Background and aims The authors of the present study wanted to know whether the previously reported psychiatric comorbidities of internet gaming disorder (IGD) based on DSM-5 criteria were also more prevalent among gaming disorder (GD) or hazardous gaming (HG) based on ICD-11 criteria. Therefore, the present case-control study evaluated the psychia...

Challenged inhibitory control has been implicated in various disorders, including addiction. Previous research suggests that asymmetry of frontal brain activity, indexed by frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA), is associated with inhibitory control and could be a target for neuromodulatory intervention. Some evidence suggests that unilateral muscle contra...

Background and aims Conflicting findings have been reported for the longitudinal course of behavioral addictions, especially for social media addiction (SMA) and work addiction (WA). Therefore, evaluating whether these constructs are more trait-like or state-like might be informative. The aim of the present study was to examine the proportion of va...

Introduction The Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX) is a brief questionnaire that evaluates five major aspects of sexual function: sex drive, arousal, erectile function/vaginal lubrication, ability to reach orgasm, and satisfaction with orgasm. An advantage of the ASEX is its simplicity and brevity (five items), making it suitable for the scre...

Háttér és célkitűzések: A munkafüggőség egy olyan viselkedési addikció, amely számos negatív következménnyel jár, s mindez érintheti a testi, pszichés és társas kapcsolati jóllétet. A munkafüggők körében gyakoribb a szerhasználat, emellett kedvezőtlenebb egészség-magatartással és egészségtelenebb életmóddal jellemezhetők. A folyamatos túlterheltség...

Background: The popularity of video games has considerably increased in recent years, with approximately 3.24 billion players worldwide in 2021. Empirical evidence suggests that the quality of engagement in video games can determine whether a gaming activity is associated with psychological distress (i.e., problematic gaming) or self-enhancing outc...

Challenged inhibitory control has been implicated in various disorders, including addiction. Previous research suggests that asymmetry of frontal brain activity, indexed by frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA), is associated with inhibitory control and could be a target for neuromodulatory intervention. Some evidence suggests that unilateral muscle contra...

Social phobia has often been associated with problematic social media use (PSMU) and problematic smartphone use (PSU). Studies have also shown an association between social phobia and self-esteem. However, no studies have analyzed the relationship between social phobia, self-esteem, PSMU, and PSU in an integrated model. The present study hypothesiz...

Introduction Mindfulness has been associated with benefits on cognitive processes, including attention. However, the exact relationship between mindfulness, components of attention, and the role of reward context has not yet been fully elucidated, which is relevant, especially in the context of addiction. In the current study, we specifically evalu...

The UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Model and the various psychometric instruments developed and validated based on this model are well established in clinical and research settings. However, evidence regarding the psychometric validity, reliability, and equivalence across multiple countries of residence, languages, or gender identities, including gender...

Background While there are calls to restrict the time spent on gaming because it is seen as problematic and potentially leading to gaming disorder (GD), there is conflicting evidence about this issue. We explored the association between the average weekly time spent gaming and reported GD symptoms. Additionally, Latent Profile Analysis was employed...

Celebrity worship refers to excessive admiration towards a favorite celebrity (McCutcheon et al., 2002). Admiration of celebrities has been intensively researched in the past two decades (Brooks, 2021). The Absorption-Addiction Model proposes a hierarchical model of celebrity worship ranging from healthy enthusiasm to excessive levels of admiration...

Purpose of Review The early detection of problematic Internet use (PIU) is essential to prevent the development of Internet use disorders (IUD). Although a variety of screening tools have already been developed and validated for this purpose, yet a consensus about optimal IUD assessment is still lacking. In this systematic review, we (i) describe t...

Motivations for pornography use may vary across gender identities, sexual orientations, and geographical regions, warranting examination to promote individual and public health. The aims of this study were to validate the Pornography Use Motivations Scale (PUMS) in a diverse, multicultural sample, and develop a short form (PUMS-8) that can assess a...

Similar to addictive substances, addictive behaviours such as gambling and gaming are associated with maladaptive modulation of key brain areas and functional networks implicated in learning and memory. Therefore, this review sought to understand how different learning and memory processes relate to behavioural addictions and to unravel their under...

AIM: Recently, we have witnessed a large increase in the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among adults in Ireland. This is a significant public health issue, because if STIs are not diagnosed or treated, they can cause severe harm to the person’s physical and mental health. The increase seemed particularly sharp among young adu...

Reactive inhibitory control plays an important role in phenotype of different diseases/different phases of a disease. One candidate electrophysiological marker of inhibitory control is frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA). FAA reflects the relative difference in contralateral frontal brain activity. However, the relationship between FAA and potential beha...

As theoretical models suggest, work addiction has several adverse correlates and consequences, such as unfavorable personality traits, physical and psychological symptoms, and social conflicts. Both early and recent concepts emphasize that individuals with work addiction have more problematic social life due to obsessive overwork. This includes neg...

Background and Objectives As the gaming industry experiences exponential growth, concerns about gaming disorder (GD) also grow. It is crucial to understand the structural features of games that can interact with individual characteristics of gamers to promote GD. This research consolidates the views of an international body of panelists to create a...

At the time of writing, about 4.59 billion people use social media with many adolescents using their social media accounts across a myriad of applications and platforms. According to recent statistics, in 2022 individuals spent an average of 151 minutes on social media each day, illustrating the global relevance of social media (Dixon, 2022a, Dixon...

Mindfulness has been linked to enhanced inhibitory control, yet the dynamics of this relationship, especially in reward situations, are not well understood. Our cross-sectional study aimed to explore the relationship between trait mindfulness and a performance measure of inhibitory control as a function of reward context operationalized by stimuli...

Background and aims The Incentive Sensitization Theory (IST) offers a comprehensive framework that explains how attentional mechanisms contribute to the maintenance and relapse of addictive behavior. However, the extent to which the underlying neuropsychological mechanisms are consciously accessible for report remains unknown. Thus, the aim of this...

Background The fifth version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and its revised version (DSM-5-TR) propose severity levels for gambling disorder (GD) based on the number of criteria met. However, this taxonomy has some limitations. We aimed to assess the centrality of each criterion and its relationship by conduct...

Background and aims The present study aimed to synthesize existing quantitative evidence on the relationship between problematic smartphone use (PSU) and academic achievement with a focus on quantifying its magnitude and examining its potential moderators. Methods Eligible studies were searched for up to February 10, 2023 in six different database...

Background A large body of evidence suggests that some people have a strong, obsessive attachment to a favorite celebrity. The absorption-addiction model attempts to account for this extreme attachment, sometimes labeled “celebrity worship.” According to the model, a small portion of celebrity admirers (“celebrity worshipers”) become absorbed in th...

Background and aims: Celebrity worship, defined as an excessive admiration towards celebrities, has generated considerable research and public interest. A widely used assessment instrument to measure celebrity worship is the 23-item Celebrity Attitude Scale. However, concerns have been raised regarding the measurement, including the inconsistent fa...

Background. Depression and anxiety are among the most prevalent mental health issues experienced worldwide. However, whereas cross-cultural studies utilize psychometrically valid and reliable scales, fewer can meaningfully compare these conditions across different groups. To address this gap, the current study aimed to psychometrically assess the B...

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the P4 suicide screener in a multinational sample. The primary goal was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the scale and investigate its convergent validity by analyzing its correlation with depression, anxiety, and substance use. Study design: The study design is a cro...

Background The three-item Sexual Distress Scale (SDS-3) has been frequently used to assess distress related to sexuality in public health surveys and research on sexual wellbeing. However, its psychometric properties and measurement invariance across cultural, gender and sexual subgroups have not yet been examined. This multinational study aimed to...

Introduction The inclusion of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) in the fifth revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM‐5 ) by the American Psychiatric Association and Gaming Disorder in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases ( ICD‐11 ) by the World Health Organization requires consistent psy...

Background and objectives Work addiction (WA), characterized by dimensions such as overcommitment, difficulties in detachment from work, and work-life imbalance, is presumed to be associated with increased smartphone usage, even during risky activities like driving. The study investigated the connection between WA and future problematic and hazardo...

Background and aims Problematic pornography use (PPU) is a common manifestation of the newly introduced Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder diagnosis in the 11th edition of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. Although cultural, gender‐ and sexual orientation‐related differences in sexual behaviors a...

Gambling disorder is a severe mental health and behavioural problem with harmful consequences, including financial, relationship and mental health problems. The present paper initiates discussion on the use of psychedelics combined with psychotherapeutic support as a potential treatment option for people living with a gambling disorder. Recent stud...

The Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale (PPCS) was developed to assess problematic pornography use (PPU). A Cronbach’s alpha generalization meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the average Cronbach’s alpha score of the PPCS.Seventeen Cronbach’s alpha scores from 12 studies (N = 41974) yielded excellent Cronbach’s alpha score estimates. The...

Background: The following protocol pertains to a pioneer study, aiming to investigate how weather sensitivity and walking in different environments affects the psychophysiological responses to the stress of individuals with coronary artery disease (CAD) during rehabilitation (WE_SENSE_THE_NATURE). This randomised control trial will provide fresh in...

Objective We analyzed adult ADHD symptoms in a cross-cultural context, including investigating the occurrence and potential correlates of adult ADHD and psychometric examination of the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) Screener. Method Our analysis is based on a large-scale research project involving 42 countries (International Sex Survey, N=72,...

Introduction Numerous studies have assessed sexual abuse (SA) in association with psychological consequences, psychiatric disorders, or somatic disorders. However, assessing such a complex psychological construct faces both methodological and theoretical difficulties. Method The aim of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the...

Background and aims: Problematic pornography use (PPU) is a common manifestation of the newly introduced Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder diagnosis in the 11th edition of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. Although cultural, gender- and sexual orientation-related differences in sexual behaviors...

To date, little research has been conducted to understand the role of psychological distances on smoking behaviour. Construal Level Theory posits that individuals mentally construe events, objects, or ideas based on their perceived distance in terms of spatial, temporal, social, and hypothetical dimensions, influencing their judgments and decision-...

Tolerance, one of the key features of addiction, is a highly debated criterion for behaviors, considered controversial and difficult to assess. The Incentive-Sensitization Theory of Addiction (IST) provides a robust empirical background on the dynamics of the motivational and hedonic systems underlying addiction, reflecting tolerance. The aim of th...

Background The eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) defines the three key diagnostic criteria for gaming disorder (GD). These are loss of control over gaming, gaming as a priority over daily activities, and impaired functioning due to gaming. While this definition has implications for the prevention and treatme...

Existen pocos estudios transculturales que utilizan análisis longitudinales para explorar el uso problemático de internet (PIU), y apenas existen estudios en población adulta. El presente estudio de seguimiento ha comparado tres observaciones a lo largo de un período de 12 meses, una cada seis meses. Se observó el curso natural y la trayectoria del...

Introduction: Despite the growing recognition of gaming disorder as a mental disorder, there is still debate about how it should be best screened for. This is especially relevant in countries where prevalence studies that could support evidence-based policymaking are still to be conducted. This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of...

Previous studies have shown that addiction is associated with an attentional bias towards external stimuli. However, it is currently unclear whether this bias extends to internal attention. The aim of the present study was to address this question within the Incentive Sensitization theory framework. To this end, structural equation models delineati...

Background and aims The aim of the present study was to examine the mental representations of the use of different substances and other potentially addictive behaviors in order to explore meaningful similarities and differences that may contribute to a better understanding of behavioral addictions’ representations and diagnostic criteria. Methods...

Although 1–14% of adolescents may experience problematic pornography use (PPU), psychometrically sound instruments for assessing PPU in Spanish-speaking adolescents are scarce. Given the advantages of the different forms of the Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale (PPCS), the aim of the present study was to assess the psychometric properties o...

Introduction: Despite being a widely used screening questionnaire, there is no consensus on the most appropriate measurement model for the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Furthermore, there have been limited studies on its measurement invariance across cross-cultural subgroups, genders, and sexual orientations. Aims: The present...

Esports gambling has steadily grown in popularity alongside esports itself. While research has been increasing in the field of esports-related gambling, no study has yet reviewed the relevant literature on esports gambling. The present study aimed to comprehensively review all empirical research conducted in the wider field of esports gambling. A s...

Prior research links self-regulation failure to psychiatric disorders. While the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortices are associated with distinct components of self-regulation-approach and inhibitory systems, respectively-existing measures are considered indirect. Our preregistered study explored frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) as a poten...

The present study was aimed at obtaining a more comprehensive understanding of the possible mediating factors in the morningness-eveningness → alcohol consumption relation. We explored the role of mediators such as sensation seeking, the frequency of going out in the evenings, and drinking motives. We tested the proposed mediation model via structu...

Aims: This study sought to synthesize prevalence rates of problematic internet use (PIU) during the COVID-19 pandemic in the general adult (age over 18 years old) population and to investigate its possible moderators. Methods: A preregistered systematic literature review using the PubMed/MEDLINE, EBSCOhost/PsycINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane Library...