Browse Our Latest Psychology and Behavioral Science Journals
Psychological journals are peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journals that publish original work in some areas of psychology. The most common publications include cognitive, health and clinical psychology, applied, developmental, biological, social, experimental, and educational psychology, and psychoanalysis.
Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
Background and aims
Problematic smartphone use (PSU), characterized by excessive and compulsive engagement with smartphones, is significantly shaped by the family environment. Recent studies have shown that childhood maltreatment (CM) is associated with increased PSU. Despite this growing recognition, comprehensive, quantitative evaluations of this connection remain scarce. The present meta-analysis aims to synthesize existing quantitative evidence on the relationship between PSU and CM.
Methods
We systematically searched databases including Web of Science, ProQuest, PubMed, Elsevier ScienceDirect, PsycINFO, Wanfang, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Weipu for studies published up to March 1, 2025. Eligible papers were quantitative, peer-reviewed studies that allowed statistical calculation of the relationship between PSU and CM.
Results
Across 51 studies (99 effect sizes), a moderate positive correlation was found between CM and PSU (r = 0.264, 95% CI [0.226, 0.301], p < 0.001). Notably, as age increases, the impact of physical and sexual abuse on individuals appears to diminish, whereas this age-related effect was not observed for other forms of maltreatment. No significant moderating effects were observed for maltreatment type, measurement tools, study design, gender, sample type (college vs. non-college), or publication type.
Discussion and Conclusions
The findings highlight the family environment's key role in PSU. Children who experience maltreatment require special attention to their smartphone usage, along with targeted interventions to address both the harms of maltreatment and excessive smartphone use.
Abstract
Background and aims
A growing body of evidence suggests that excessive digital engagement can lead to adverse consequences, especially in children and adolescents. Many stakeholders point to prevention in the school environment as one way to mitigate these harms, though their effectiveness is unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate existing school-based preventive interventions aimed at reducing digital addiction and screen time among individuals aged 6–19 years old.
Methods
We conducted a comprehensive literature search across various databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar, to identify relevant studies published between 2013 and 2023, of which 34 met the inclusion criteria.
Results
The reviewed interventions were particularly effective at reducing measures of problematic digital technology use (d = 1.47 after intervention; d = 1.13 at follow-up), while being less effective at reducing screen time (d = 0.15 after intervention; d = 0.15 at follow-up). Interventions which were externally led, actively included parents, targeted at-risk youth or employed a therapy-based approach were more successful at decreasing problematic digital technology use. A slightly larger decrease in screen time was observed in interventions with external leaders, targeting at risk populations and those lasting upwards of three months.
Discussion and Conclusions
Due to the observed publication bias and modest statistical power within subgroup analyses, more empirical research is recommended to confirm the identified trends. Overall, given the promising results, policymakers should strongly consider exploring possibilities of systemic inclusion of digital addiction interventions within the school curriculum.
Abstract
Background and aim
The 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) recognizes gaming disorder (GD) as a behavioral addiction, but its implications for the clinical diagnostic practice of GD remain underexplored. This study examines the clinical diagnosis of GD since its inclusion in ICD-11 to understand trends in diagnosis rates in psychiatric departments and patient characteristics, particularly comorbidities.
Method
This multicenter, retrospective observational study was conducted in five large tertiary hospitals and mental health centers across four Chinese provinces. Diagnoses of GD in each hospital were based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) or ICD-11 criteria. Data were extracted from hospital records, including demographics, diagnoses, and medical history.
Result
Of the 7,877,415 total visitors, 3,517 unique patients (0.045%) met GD diagnostic criteria. GD diagnoses showed a significant linear increase (χ2 = 83.143, p < 0.001) from 2018 to 2023. 37.59% of GD patients had comorbidities, mostly mood disorders, followed by impulse control disorders, schizophrenia or other primary psychotic disorders, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Patients were younger (F = 48.69, p < 0.001), mainly aged 12–18.
Discussion and conclusions
This study reveals an upward trend in GD diagnosis from 2018 to 2023, showing a trend toward younger diagnosis age, especially in males. Notably, there's a high rate of comorbidities, with mood disorders being the most common. While ICD-11 may have improved GD identification, further research is needed to clarify whether the increased rates are due to higher prevalence or better recognition.
Abstract
Background
Despite extensive research efforts aimed at unraveling the neural mechanisms underlying Internet gaming disorder (IGD), reproducibility remains a challenge, largely due to overlooking the clinical and biological diversity within individuals affected by IGD. Therefore, investigating the altered brain features associated with IGD within both individual-shared and individual-specific subspaces is crucial for understanding this complex and heterogeneous disorder.
Methods
This study included 555 participants, comprising 326 individuals with IGD and 229 recreational game users (RGUs). Firstly, we computed altered functional connectivity (AFC) matrices for individuals with IGD and compared them with those of RGUs. Subsequently, we applied the common orthogonal basis extraction algorithm to partition the AFC of individuals with IGD into individual-shared and individual-specific subspaces. Finally, we examined brain regions exhibiting generally abnormal patterns in the individual-shared subspace and employed multiple linear regression analysis to assess the predictive influence of AFC within the individual-specific subspace on clinical symptoms.
Results
Our findings revealed individual-shared altered patterns in the visual network, medial frontal network (MFN), and frontoparietal network (FPN) among individuals with IGD, which are associated with executive control and visual processing. Within the individual-specific subspace, we observed that AFC within the default mode network could predict scores related to fun-seeking behavior in the behavioral activation system (BAS), while AFC within the MFN correlated with reward responsiveness and drive scores in the BAS. Additionally, AFC within the FPN was predictive of scores in the behavioral inhibition system.
Conclusions
This study successfully decomposed the AFC of IGD into individual-shared and individual-specific subspaces. The AFC within individual-specific subspaces holds promise as potential biomarkers for elucidating clinical symptoms in IGD, thereby offering an analytical framework for investigating heterogeneity in other addictive behaviors.
Abstract
Background and aims
Clinical diagnosis of gambling disorder (GD) remains challenging due to the heterogeneity in symptoms and a lack of consistency in the proposed neural mechanisms. Effective classification of GD may depend on neural representations of either risky decision-making or reward processing.
Methods
To address these challenges, we recruited more than 100 individuals with GD and matched healthy controls, utilizing event-related fMRI during a novel risky decision-making task to elicit neural representations of risky decision-making and reward processing.
Results
During the decision phase, there was no significant difference observed between the two groups even when a very liberal threshold was used. During reward processing, the GD group exhibited significantly increased activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus, right anterior insula, and bilateral posterior cingulate cortex in the risky reward condition compared with the healthy controls. A notable neural activation characteristic was the distinct response between risk-win and risk-loss conditions in reward processing, particularly in the right inferior frontal gyrus in the GD group. The classification for GD using the neural representation of reward yielded an area under the curve of 0.75 (±0.11 SD).
Discussion and conclusion
These findings integrate biological and behavioral perspectives to provide new insights into the reward processes underlying GD. These findings highlight specific neural representations associated with GD and suggest potential biomarkers for diagnostic evaluation in GD.
Abstract
Background and aims
Research has shown a positive association between Problematic Smartphone Use (PSU) and poor sleep quality. However, extant literature has mostly relied on cross-sectional studies and little is known about the factors involved in the maintenance of PSU and connected sleep problems. The aim of this study was to model the associations between Negative Metacognitions about the uncontrollability and danger of excessive Smartphone Use (NMSU), poor sleep quality, and PSU using a 2-wave design.
Methods
A total of 361 participants completed an online questionnaire at W1 and W2 (after six months). A cross-lagged panel model was estimated using SEM to examine the longitudinal interrelationships between poor sleep quality, two dimensions of PSU (i.e., Time spent - which covers addiction-like symptoms of PSU including withdrawal and salience, and Daily life interference - which assesses the negative effects of smartphone use on daily functioning, and NMSU.
Results
Correlation analyses showed significant positive associations among PSU, NMSU and poor sleep quality at both waves. With regards to cross-lagged effects, only poor sleep quality at W1 significantly predicted NMSU at W2 (β = 0.202, p = 0.021).
Discussion and conclusions
Contrary to previous studies, only a prospective effect of sleep quality on negative metacognitions, rather than bidirectional influence between the three variables, was observed. Sleep hygiene education and interventions based on Metacognitive therapy could be helpful to modify negative metacognitions in the context of PSU.
Abstract
Background and Objectives
Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is a growing public health concern, especially among adolescents. However, most IGD studies are cross-sectional, leaving its developmental course poorly understood. This study examined IGD trajectories, their predictors, and their long-term mental health outcomes among Chinese adolescents.
Methods
A cohort of 16,833 adolescent gamers (mean age = 13.40, 46.56% girls) was recruited from 76 middle schools in Zigong City through cluster sampling. Assessments were conducted in November 2020 (T1), November 2021 (T2), and November 2022 (T3). IGD was measured using the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short Form (IGDS9-SF). Demographic, gaming, environmental, and psychological factors (e.g., depression, anxiety, sleep problems, suicidal ideation, conduct problems, hyperactivity, resilience, mental wellbeing, prosocial behavior) were also assessed. Growth mixture modeling (GMM) identified IGD trajectories, and logistic regression evaluated predictors and mental health outcomes at T3.
Results
GMM identified four IGD trajectories: High-Risk Decreasing (4.5%), Moderate-Risk Stable (19.5%), Moderate-Risk Increasing (3.0%), and Low-Risk Stable (73.0%). Age, gaming time, anxiety, sleep problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, and low prosocial behavior predicted worsening IGD symptoms. At T3, the Moderate-Risk Increasing group had significantly higher risks for adverse mental health outcomes compared to the Low-Risk Stable group, whereas the High-Risk Decreasing group showed no significant or minimal differences in most domains from the Low-Risk Stable group after adjusting for baseline characteristics.
Discussion and Conclusions
These findings underscore the heterogeneous nature of IGD development and highlight the need for long-term monitoring and tailored interventions to mitigate adverse mental health outcomes in at-risk adolescents.
Érzelmeink a társas térben: az interperszonális érzelemszabályozás
Our emotions in the social context: Interpersonal emotion regulation
Háttér és célkitűzés: A szociális kontextusban történő érzelemszabályozás, azaz az interperszonális érzelemszabályozás fogalma az elmúlt 10 évben került előtérbe. Interperszonális érzelemszabályozásnak nevezzük azt a folyamatot, amelyben két vagy több személy vesz részt, és amely során az egyén érzelmeit a társas interakció résztvevői szabályozzák. Jelen narratív összegzés célja az interperszonális érzelemszabályozással kapcsolatos ismeretek összefoglalása, valamint a főbb kutatási irányvonalak kijelölése. A tanulmány első lépésben bemutatja az intra- és interperszonális érzelemszabályozás főbb jellemzőit és modelljeit, majd felvázolja az interperszonális érzelemszabályozás mentális egészségre gyakorolt hatását. Végül kitér az intra- és interperszonális érzelemszabályozás közötti összefüggésekre is. A társas érzelemszabályozást gyakran szociális célok, például a társas kapcsolatok javításának vagy fenntartásának igénye vezérli. Ezeknek a céloknak a feltárása, valamint az intraperszonális érzelemszabályozási folyamatok figyelembevétele alapvető fontosságú a szociális érzelemszabályozás dinamikájának megértéséhez és feltérképezéséhez.
Abstract
This 33-month retrospective case report explores the impact of psilocybin truffle intake on the emergence (and persistence) of mental imagery in an autistic woman with aphantasia. Aphantasia refers to the inability to generate visual mental images, which can significantly affect individuals' experiences and cognitive processes.
The case study focuses on a 34-year-old autistic woman who had been living with aphantasia since childhood. After consuming psilocybin truffles, she reported experiencing vivid mental imagery for the first time, with the ability to manipulate and explore images in her mind. The effects persisted even after the psychedelic effects of psilocybin subsided. To document this change, she completed the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire at several timepoints. Retrospectively, she reported a baseline score of 16 (pre-intake) and a post-intake score of 80. A contemporaneous follow-up conducted 12 months later revealed a score of 59, and a subsequent assessment at 33 months showed a further increase to 68, slightly above the population average.
The findings align with previous research on the effects of psilocybin on brain connectivity, neuroplasticity, and visual processing. The case report highlights the potential of psilocybin to modulate mental imagery in individuals with (putatively congenital) aphantasia and suggests avenues for further research. Moreover, it raises questions about the classification and pathologization of aphantasia, encouraging a shift toward recognizing cognitive diversity rather than pathologizing neurocognitive differences.
