Measuring facets of reward sensitivity, inhibition, and impulse control in individuals with problematic Internet use

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Problematic Internet Use (PIU) is the inability to control the amount of time spent on the Internet. Research indicates that abnormalities in reward sensitivity, sensitivity to punishment, and impulse control drive addictive behaviors such as substance abuse and gambling disorders, but it is unclear whether this is also the case in PIU. METHODS: Behavioral tasks and scales were completed by 62 participants (32 PIU individuals and 30 no-PIU individuals) to assess reward sensitivity, sensitivity to punishment, as well as inhibitory function and impulse control. Measures administered included Go/No-Go, delay discounting, Behavioral Inhibition/Activation (BIS/BAS) scales and the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ). RESULTS: The PIU group endorsed greater reward sensitivity and punishment sensitivity as indexed by the SPSRQ. However, there were no group differences with regards to delay discounting, performance in the Go/No-Go task, or endorsement in the BIS/BAS scales. DISCUSSION: The present study found increased reward sensitivity and sensitivity to punishment in PIU individuals, though impulse control was not observably affected. Future experimental studies are needed to inform our conceptualization of the etiology of addictive behavior as it pertains to PIU. Further investigation will aid in informing prevention and intervention efforts.

Assessing the Association Between Internet Addiction Disorder and Health Risk Behaviors Among Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Internet addiction disorder (IAD) is considered as an inability of individuals to control their internet use, resulting in marked distress and functional impairment in daily life such as psychological, social, academic, and professional problems (1). The overall prevalence of IAD ranges from 1.5 to 8.2% in the United States and Europe (2).…”

The Relationship Between Affective and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in Internet Use Disorder

“…Functional alterations in the reward network are associated with addiction, depression, and OCD (Park et al, 2019 ). Similarly to behavioral addictions, it has been shown that both IUD and IGD are related to abnormalities in reward processing, inhibition, and impulse control (e.g., Brand et al, 2016 ), with increased reward sensitivity and sensitivity to punishment in individuals with IUD (Vargas et al, 2019 ). These speculations seem to be supported by the findings we obtained when exploring the possible patterns of relationships among impulsive-compulsive domain, affective domain , and substance abuse variables in the two groups.…”

A ‘Control Model’ of Social Media Engagement in Adolescence: A Grounded Theory Analysis

“…Excessive investment may reflect compulsive tendencies in managing the relational self. ‘ Hunting ’ processes (i.e., reward-seeking) comprised active manipulation for higher reward acquisition, triggered primarily by the variable reward reinforcement similar to gaming, acting as potential antecedent to problematic use due to reinforcement sensitivity [6,89] and neurobiological activation in neural regions implicated in reward processing, social cognition, imitation, and attention [90]. However, behavioral reinforcement factors have not been sufficiently studied to date [91], particularly in relation to their interaction with individual and other situational factors.…”