TY - JOUR
T1 - Comorbidity of problematic substance use and other addictive behaviors and anxiety, depression, and post-Traumatic stress disorder
T2 - A network analysis
AU - Shmulewitz, Dvora
AU - Levitin, Maor Daniel
AU - Skvirsky, Vera
AU - Vider, Merav
AU - Eliashar, Roi
AU - Mikulincer, Mario
AU - Lev-Ran, Shaul
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), 2024.
PY - 2024/12/1
Y1 - 2024/12/1
N2 - Background Among those with common mental health disorders (e.g. mood, anxiety, and stress disorders), comorbidity of substance and other addictive disorders is prevalent. To simplify the seemingly complex relationships underlying such comorbidity, methods that include multiple measures to distill which specific addictions are uniquely associated with specific mental health disorders rather than due to the co-occurrence of other related addictions or mental health disorders can be used. Methods In a general population sample of Jewish adults in Israel (N = 4002), network analysis methods were used to create partial correlation networks of continuous measures of problematic substance (non-medical use of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and prescription sedatives, stimulants, and opioid painkillers) and behavioral (gambling, electronic gaming, sexual behavior, pornography, internet, social media, and smartphone) addictions and common mental health problems (depression, anxiety, and post-Traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]), adjusted for all variables in the model. Results Strongest associations were observed within these clusters: (1) PTSD, anxiety, and depression; (2) problematic substance use and gambling; (3) technology-based addictive behaviors; and (4) problematic sexual behavior and pornography. In terms of comorbidity, the strongest unique associations were observed for PTSD and problematic technology-based behaviors (social media, smartphone), and sedatives and stimulants use; depression and problematic technology-based behaviors (gaming, internet) and sedatives and cannabis use; and anxiety and problematic smartphone use. Conclusions Network analysis isolated unique relationships underlying the observed comorbidity between common mental health problems and addictions, such as associations between mental health problems and technology-based behaviors, which is informative for more focused interventions.
AB - Background Among those with common mental health disorders (e.g. mood, anxiety, and stress disorders), comorbidity of substance and other addictive disorders is prevalent. To simplify the seemingly complex relationships underlying such comorbidity, methods that include multiple measures to distill which specific addictions are uniquely associated with specific mental health disorders rather than due to the co-occurrence of other related addictions or mental health disorders can be used. Methods In a general population sample of Jewish adults in Israel (N = 4002), network analysis methods were used to create partial correlation networks of continuous measures of problematic substance (non-medical use of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and prescription sedatives, stimulants, and opioid painkillers) and behavioral (gambling, electronic gaming, sexual behavior, pornography, internet, social media, and smartphone) addictions and common mental health problems (depression, anxiety, and post-Traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]), adjusted for all variables in the model. Results Strongest associations were observed within these clusters: (1) PTSD, anxiety, and depression; (2) problematic substance use and gambling; (3) technology-based addictive behaviors; and (4) problematic sexual behavior and pornography. In terms of comorbidity, the strongest unique associations were observed for PTSD and problematic technology-based behaviors (social media, smartphone), and sedatives and stimulants use; depression and problematic technology-based behaviors (gaming, internet) and sedatives and cannabis use; and anxiety and problematic smartphone use. Conclusions Network analysis isolated unique relationships underlying the observed comorbidity between common mental health problems and addictions, such as associations between mental health problems and technology-based behaviors, which is informative for more focused interventions.
KW - addictive behaviors
KW - anxiety
KW - comorbidity
KW - depression
KW - network analysis
KW - post-Traumatic stress disorder
KW - problematic substance use
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85212218412&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0033291724002794
DO - 10.1017/S0033291724002794
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C2 - 39641244
AN - SCOPUS:85212218412
SN - 0033-2917
VL - 54
SP - 4635
EP - 4645
JO - Psychological Medicine
JF - Psychological Medicine
IS - 16
ER -