Preventing problematic internet use during the COVID-19 pandemic: Consensus guidance.
Journal: Comprehensive psychiatry
Volume: 100
Issue:
Year of Publication: 2020
Affiliated Institutions:
Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary. Electronic address: kiraly.orsolya@ppk.elte.hu.
Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA; Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. Electronic address: marc.potenza@yale.edu.
SA MRC Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry & Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. Electronic address: dan.stein@uct.ac.za.
College of Education, Psychology, & Social Work, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia. Electronic address: daniel.king@flinders.edu.au.
Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada. Electronic address: dhodgins@ucalgary.ca.
Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Electronic address: mail@jbsaunders.net.
Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom. Electronic address: mark.griffiths@ntu.ac.uk.
Academy of Sciences and Arts of North Macedonia, Skopje, Macedonia. Electronic address: biljanagjoneska@manu.edu.mk.
Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. Electronic address: joel.billieux@unil.ch.
General Psychology: Cognition and Center for Behavioral Addiction Research (CeBAR), University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany. Electronic address: matthias.brand@uni-due.de.
Gambling and Addictions Research Centre, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand. Electronic address: max.abbott@aut.ac.nz.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK; Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Department of Clinical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom; Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: o.corazza@herts.ac.uk.
Laboratory of Behavioral Medicine, Neuroscience Institute, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Palanga, Lithuania. Electronic address: julius.burkauskas@lsmuni.lt.
Psychology and Education Sciences, Center for Psychology University of Porto, Portugal. Electronic address: celiasales@soutodacasa.org.
Department of Molecular Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany. Electronic address: christian.montag@uni-ulm.de.
SA MRC Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Electronic address: CL@sun.ac.za.
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and the ETH, Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland; Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: edna.gruenblatt@kjpd.uzh.ch.
General Psychology: Cognition and Center for Behavioral Addiction Research (CeBAR), University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany. Electronic address: elisa.wegmann@uni-due.de.
Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, Clinical Sciences, 'Gabriele d'Annunzio' University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy.
Department of Psychiatry, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea.
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck, Germany. Electronic address: Hans-Juergen.Rumpf@uksh.de.
Department of Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatments, Faculty of Psychology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain. Electronic address: castroj@psi.uji.es.
Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies (INCAS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: rahimia@sina.tums.ac.ir.
National Hospital Organization Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center, National Center for Addiction Services Administration, Yokosuka, Japan. Electronic address: h-susumu@db.so-net.ne.jp.
Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, University of Barcelona, Cibersam, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: jmenchon@bellvitgehospital.cat.
Sackler Medical School, Tel Aviv University, Chaim Sheba Medical Center Tel Hashomer, Tel Aviv, Israel. Electronic address: joseph.zohar@sheba.health.gov.il.
Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy; University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK; Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. Electronic address: luca.pellegrini@studio.unibo.it.
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and the ETH, Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland; Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: susanne.walitza@puk.zh.ch.
University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK; Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom; University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary. Electronic address: demetrovics.zsolt@ppk.elte.hu.
Abstract summary
As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many governments have introduced steps such as spatial distancing and "staying at home" to curb its spread and impact. The fear resulting from the disease, the 'lockdown' situation, high levels of uncertainty regarding the future, and financial insecurity raise the level of stress, anxiety, and depression experienced by people all around the world. Psychoactive substances and other reinforcing behaviors (e.g., gambling, video gaming, watching pornography) are often used to reduce stress and anxiety and/or to alleviate depressed mood. The tendency to use such substances and engage in such behaviors in an excessive manner as putative coping strategies in crises like the COVID-19 pandemic is considerable. Moreover, the importance of information and communications technology (ICT) is even higher in the present crisis than usual. ICT has been crucial in keeping parts of the economy going, allowing large groups of people to work and study from home, enhancing social connectedness, providing greatly needed entertainment, etc. Although for the vast majority ICT use is adaptive and should not be pathologized, a subgroup of vulnerable individuals are at risk of developing problematic usage patterns. The present consensus guidance discusses these risks and makes some practical recommendations that may help diminish them.
Authors & Co-authors:
Király Orsolya O
Potenza Marc N MN
Stein Dan J DJ
King Daniel L DL
Hodgins David C DC
Saunders John B JB
Griffiths Mark D MD
Gjoneska Biljana B
Billieux Joël J
Brand Matthias M
Abbott Max W MW
Chamberlain Samuel R SR
Corazza Ornella O
Burkauskas Julius J
Sales Célia M D CMD
Montag Christian C
Lochner Christine C
Grünblatt Edna E
Wegmann Elisa E
Martinotti Giovanni G
Lee Hae Kook HK
Rumpf Hans-Jürgen HJ
Castro-Calvo Jesús J
Rahimi-Movaghar Afarin A
Higuchi Susumu S
Menchon Jose M JM
Zohar Joseph J
Pellegrini Luca L
Walitza Susanne S
Fineberg Naomi A NA
Demetrovics Zsolt Z
Study Outcome
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