Gambling disorder is an addictive disorder that has been shown to have a detrimental effect on an individual’s health, social, and financial situations. Voluntary self-exclusion is one way for patients to reduce harm in gambling disorder, but breaching one’s self-exclusion appears to be common. In January 2019, Sweden launched a nationwide, multioperator self-exclusion instrument called <i>Spelpaus</i> (literally “game break”). <i>Spelpaus</i> is unique to Sweden, and there is limited research on the use of this type of nationwide, multioperator self-exclusion services, also in relation to gambling disorder and mental health. There is a reason to follow the clinical picture of treatment seeking for gambling disorder over time, and this study aims to explore clinical characteristics of patients seeking clinical gambling disorder treatment, including sex distribution and mental health comorbidity, as well as the use of <i>Spelpaus</i> amongst patients with gambling disorder and how frequently users gambled despite ongoing self-exclusion, in relation to sex and psychiatric comorbidities. A retrospective chart study was carried out on patients presenting to a regional gambling disorder treatment unit. Information regarding self-exclusions using <i>Spelpaus</i>, gambling despite self-exclusion, and the method of gambling despite self-exclusion as well as psychiatric comorbidities were extracted from medical records. Females were markedly more likely to report overall psychiatric comorbidities (48% vs. 25% among males, <svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-3.42943pt" id="M1" height="10.2124pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -6.78297 7.83752 10.2124" width="7.83752pt"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path id="g113-113" d="M570 304C570 398 525 448 414 448C385 448 343 445 312 434L329 511L321 518C297 504 262 482 244 460L233 411C195 397 159 381 128 358L135 332C160 347 189 360 224 373L111 -147C97 -210 84 -218 17 -231L13 -257L254 -247L259 -218L233 -216C183 -212 177 -202 189 -142L218 -1C238 -10 266 -12 283 -12C351 3 429 48 483 105C543 168 570 242 570 304ZM482 289C482 161 380 33 304 33C278 33 248 51 233 69L303 396C326 400 352 403 369 403C428 403 482 380 482 289Z"/></g></svg> < 0.001), affective, neurotic/anxiety-related (<svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-3.42943pt" id="M2" height="10.2124pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -6.78297 7.83752 10.2124" width="7.83752pt"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-113"/></g></svg> < 0.001), and behavioral/emotional (<svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-3.42943pt" id="M3" height="10.2124pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -6.78297 7.83752 10.2124" width="7.83752pt"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-113"/></g></svg> = 0.028) diagnoses and more likely to have two or more diagnoses excluding gambling disorder (<svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-3.42943pt" id="M4" height="10.2124pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -6.78297 7.83752 10.2124" width="7.83752pt"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-113"/></g></svg> = 0.001). From 120 patients from whom information regarding self-exclusion was present, 114 (95%) had chosen to self-exclude. From the 114 self-excluders, 67 reported to have gambled despite self-exclusion, with unregistered websites being the most common method. Self-exclusion was not significantly related to sex (<svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-3.42943pt" id="M5" height="10.2124pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -6.78297 7.83752 10.2124" width="7.83752pt"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-113"/></g></svg> = 0.146) or to psychiatric comorbidities (<svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-3.42943pt" id="M6" height="10.2124pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -6.78297 7.83752 10.2124" width="7.83752pt"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-113"/></g></svg> = 0.178). In conclusion, psychiatric comorbidity was particularly common in female gambling disorder patients and gambling despite self-exclusion was common. Gambling regulations should be improved to help self-excluders avoid being able to gamble on unlicensed gambling operators. Further research should focus on sex differences and the association with psychiatric comorbidities.

M. Miles

J. Rothschild

G. Åkesson

A. Håkansson

Nationwide, Multioperator Self-Exclusion and Psychiatric Comorbidity in Patients with Gambling Disorder: A Retrospective Chart Review Study from a Regional Treatment Unit

The global pandemic forced young adults and their parents to be together. This situation has equally exposed the weaknesses in the child-parent relationship. This study aimed to investigate the role of social intelligence in the relationship between parenting style and Internet addiction during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Seven hundred and seventy-four were sampled from a public university in southeast Nigeria. They comprised 373 females and 401 males aged 17–28 years, with a mean age of 21.61. The students responded to validated measures of parenting style inventory-II, the Tromsø social intelligence scale, and Young’s Internet addiction test. The moderated multiple regression analysis results indicated that permissive parenting and social intelligence significantly predicted Internet addiction. Social intelligence moderated the relationship between authoritarian parenting style and Internet addiction. The moderation was that Internet addiction is significantly higher for individuals with low social intelligence and authoritarian parenting style than individuals with low social intelligence and higher authoritarian parenting style. Some implications of the findings include engaging parenting styles to encourage more physical interactions and enabling an environment for growth. Also, adopting techniques to increase social intelligence will help students adjust to any parenting style that may influence their psychological well-being.

Lawrence E. Ugwu

Erhabor S. Idemudia

Maria-Chidi C. Onyedibe

Adaobi Eze

Ntasiobi C. N. Igu

Pamela Ogbozor

Francis Chuwkuemeka Chinawa

Digital Dependency: How Parenting and Social Intelligence Shape Internet Addiction

Early initiation of alcohol consumption increases the risk of alcohol dependence and adverse health outcomes. Consequently, nations have enacted laws to make alcohol unlawful to be purchased by, sold to, or used in public by children. This study examined the lifetime prevalence of alcohol use among children and their reasons for consuming alcohol. In addition, the study investigated predictors of alcohol consumption and the effects of alcohol use on children. Finally, it examined the effectiveness of measures in place for regulating the sale and use of alcohol by children in the country. A total of 5024 children between the ages of 8 and 17 were sampled across the ten regions of Ghana using a cross-sectional convergent parallel mixed method. Children were interviewed with a semi-structured questionnaire, while focus group discussions were held with children, parents, and key informants. Lifetime prevalence of alcohol consumption was measured by “have you ever taken alcohol?”. The study revealed that lifetime alcohol consumption was less prevalent (6.6%) among children. Sex, age, and region of residence were significant predictors of lifetime alcohol use among children. More than half of the children who reported ever taking alcohol were first introduced to drinking by friends, and more than six in ten children claimed having been intoxicated after drinking alcohol. The findings further revealed that efforts to control the sale and consumption of alcohol by children have proven difficult despite the existence of laws, policies, and national regulatory structures. While regulations on alcohol sales and consumption have been difficult to implement in rural areas, they have been successful in urban areas because institutions there ensure rigorous adherence to the regulations. The study encourages national organizations with responsibility for child protection and development to step up their regulation, investigation, and information-sharing efforts to discourage and limit children from purchasing and consuming alcohol.

Sylvester Kyei-Gyamfi

Nii Wellington

Frank Kyei-Arthur

Prevalence, Reasons, Predictors, Perceived Effects, and Regulation of Alcohol Use among Children in Ghana

<i>Background</i>. Internet has penetrated all processes of life and has become an unavoidable part of people’s daily life. This widespread use of the Internet has resulted in significant concerns with regard to problematic Internet behaviours and related conditions. The aim of the study was to find out the prevalence of Internet addiction and its associated factors among undergraduate students in Kathmandu. <i>Materials and Methods</i>. We included all together 344 undergraduate students from different colleges affiliated to Pokhara University for this cross-sectional study. We used self-administered questionnaire consisting of the Internet Addiction Test scale to assess the Internet addiction. We coded the data, entered it in Epi-Data 3.1 and transferred to IBM SPSS 25 for analysis. We applied bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify factors associated with Internet addiction, and <svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-3.42943pt" id="M1" height="10.2124pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -6.78297 7.83752 10.2124" width="7.83752pt"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path id="g113-113" d="M570 304C570 398 525 448 414 448C385 448 343 445 312 434L329 511L321 518C297 504 262 482 244 460L233 411C195 397 159 381 128 358L135 332C160 347 189 360 224 373L111 -147C97 -210 84 -218 17 -231L13 -257L254 -247L259 -218L233 -216C183 -212 177 -202 189 -142L218 -1C238 -10 266 -12 283 -12C351 3 429 48 483 105C543 168 570 242 570 304ZM482 289C482 161 380 33 304 33C278 33 248 51 233 69L303 396C326 400 352 403 369 403C428 403 482 380 482 289Z"/></g></svg> value <0.05 was considered as statistically significantt. <i>Results</i>. The prevalence of Internet addiction was found to be 29.90% (95% CI: 25.0–34.9). In the chi-squared test relationship with parents, parental control over the Internet use, perceived feeling of loneliness, and time spent on internet per day were found to be statistically associated (<span class="inline_break"><svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="18.973pt" style="vertical-align:-3.42938pt" id="M2" height="11.7782pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -8.34882 18.973 11.7782"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-113"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,11.342,0)"><path id="g117-91" d="M512 -3V55L134 254V256L512 456V514L75 281V230L512 -3Z"/></g></svg><span class="irelop"/><span class="nowrap"><svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="21.921pt" style="vertical-align:-3.42938pt" height="11.7782pt" version="1.1" viewBox="22.555183800000002 -8.34882 21.921 11.7782"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,22.605,0)"><path id="g113-49" d="M241 635C89 635 35 457 35 312C35 153 89 -12 240 -12C390 -12 443 166 443 312C443 466 390 635 241 635ZM238 602C329 602 354 454 354 312C354 172 330 22 240 22C152 22 124 173 124 313S148 602 238 602Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,28.845,0)"><path id="g113-47" d="M113 -12C146 -12 170 11 170 46C170 78 146 103 114 103S58 78 58 46C58 11 82 -12 113 -12Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,31.809,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,38.049,0)"><path id="g113-54" d="M153 550H386L412 615L406 623H120L82 318C104 327 142 338 184 338C294 338 347 275 347 187C347 112 305 39 221 39C160 39 119 71 97 89C88 97 80 96 71 90C59 80 50 67 49 57C48 45 52 36 66 23C80 9 123 -12 169 -12C221 -11 288 15 342 59C403 109 431 165 431 225C431 308 366 395 238 395C212 395 165 379 127 364L153 550Z"/></g></svg>)</span></span> with Internet addiction. <i>Conclusion</i>. This study revealed nearly one-third of the Internet addiction among undergraduate students. Relationship with parents, parental control over the internet use, perceived loneliness feelings, and time spent on internet per day were significantly associated with Internet addiction along other factors. Therefore, it is important to raise awareness among young generation, parents, and teachers towards risk of Internet addiction.

Sonu Acharya

Laxmi Adhikari

Santosh Khadka

Shishir Paudel

Maheshor Kaphle

Internet Addiction and Its Associated Factors among Undergraduate Students in Kathmandu, Nepal

Youth and adolescent psychoactive substance use is a major public health problem worldwide which affects the health of individuals, families, and the community as a whole. This study was aimed at assessing the level of psychoactive substance use and the associated factors among the youths of North Sowa zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia, 2020/21. Community based cross-sectional study design with a multistage sampling technique was used. A total of 632 youths were involved in the study. Linear logistic regression analysis was used for both bivariate and multivariate analysis. The prevalence of life time and current psychoactive substance use was found to be 66.1% and 65%, respectively. Male sex and history of substance use from family members and friends were significantly associated with psychoactive substance use. In this study, the prevalence of life time and current psychoactive substance use was high as compared to other studies conducted in Ethiopia.

Elyas Admasu Basha

Aklil Semu Tefera

Alemnesh Tesema Tilahun

Asrat Fenta Amede

Magnitude and Associated Factors of Psychoactive Substance Use among Youths at Selected Administrative Towns of North Shewa Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

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<p><em>Journal of Addiction</em> publishes original research articles and&nbsp;review articles&nbsp;related to all aspects of addiction.</p>


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Journal of Addiction - Table of contents 2023

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Journal of Addiction publishes original research articles and review articles related to all aspects of addiction.

Journal of Addiction