The Role of Passion in Exercise Addiction,Exercise Volume,and Exercise Intensity in Long-term Exercisers

Recent studies have shown a relationship between the risk for exercise addiction (REA) and passion. This research examined whether levels of REA, volume of exercise (in weekly hours), and self-reported exercise intensities yield differences in obsessive passion and harmonious passion among individuals with long history of exercise. Respondents (n = 360) completed the Exercise Addiction Inventory, Passion Scale, and Borg Scale (assessing their usual exercise intensity), and reported their volume of exercise (hours per week). Regression analysis demonstrated that exercise intensity, obsessive passion, and harmonious passion were significant predictors (r² = .381, p < .001) of the REA scores with obsessive passion being the strongest predictor (r² = .318). Exercisers classified as at REA reported higher obsessive passion, harmonious passion, and exercise intensity (p ≤ .001) than those classified as symptomatic, who in turn scored higher on these measures (p ≤ .006) than asymptomatic exercisers. Participants reporting greater volumes of exercise also scored higher on obsessive passion, harmonious passion (p < .001), exercise intensity (p = .032), and REA scores (p = .042) than individuals who exercised less. Finally, women exercising between low and high intensities exhibited greater obsessive passion, as well as harmonious passion (p ≤ .005) than men reporting similar exercise intensities. These findings support the recently reported relationship between passion and REA. They also expand the current knowledge by demonstrating that obsessive passion and harmonious passion are greater in the individuals who exercise at higher volumes and with higher intensities.

     

Using the Syndrome Model of Addiction: a Preliminary Consideration of Psychological States and Traits

This article describes a collaborative research project between the Division on Addiction, Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital, and the Integrated Centre on Addiction Prevention and Treatment (ICAPT) of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs) in Hong Kong. The goal of this research is to better understand the syndrome model of addiction by establishing an epidemiology of addiction treatment seekers across various expressions of addiction (e.g., alcohol and other psychoactive drugs, gambling, sexual behaviors, online gaming). This paper presents initial findings about the demographic and psychological characteristics of three groups of treatment seekers in TWGHs in Hong Kong: (1) a group seeking treatment for chemical expressions of addiction (n?=?35); (2) a group seeking treatment for behavioral expressions of addiction (n?=?125); and (3) a comparison group seeking services (n?=?18) unrelated to addiction. The initial findings identified various common psychological vulnerabilities (i.e., trait anxiety, state anxiety, depression, using emotional support and venting as psychological coping, higher levels of attentional impulsiveness) shared among both the behavioral expression and chemical expression groups, and possible unique psychological characteristics associated with each expression of addiction (e.g., coping mechanisms). These findings provide support for conceptualizing addiction as a syndrome.     

Exercise Dependence and Maladaptive Perfectionism: the Mediating Role of Basic Psychological Needs

The main purpose of the present investigation, based on Self-Determination Theory, was to examine the mediating role of basic psychological needs (Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness) on the relationship between exercise dependence and maladaptive perfectionism. Participants were 169 Italian subjects, of whom 85 were male and 84 were female (age: M?=?22.76; SD?=?4.99), who regularly performed exercise for more than a year. A Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis showed that the full mediation model in which maladaptive perfectionism was only indirectly related to exercise dependence through needs satisfaction and needs thwarting yielded an acceptable fit χ² (99)?=?175.25, p?<?.01; CFI?=?.93; NNFI?=?.91; SRMR?=?.07, RMSEA?=?.07 (90 % CI?=?.05–.08). Maladaptive perfectionism had a direct positive effect on needs thwarting (β?=?.51, p?<?.001; 95 % CI?=?.35 to .66). Exercise dependence was both positively related to needs satisfaction (β?=?.36, p?<?.001; 95 % CI?=?.13 to .57) and to needs thwarting (β?=?.48, p?<?.001; 95 % CI?=?.24 to .69). Furthermore, psychological needs thwarting exclusively mediates the influence of maladaptive perfectionism on exercise dependence (β?=?.21, p?<?.05; 95 % CI?=?.03 to .39). These findings contribute to better understanding the factors that may underpin the relationship between exercise dependence and perfectionism in light of self-determination theory.     

Addiction and Moralization: the Role of the Underlying Model of Addiction

Addiction appears to be a deeply moralized concept. To understand the entwinement of addiction and morality, we briefly discuss the disease model and its alternatives in order to address the following questions: Is the disease model the only path towards a ‘de-moralized’ discourse of addiction? While it is tempting to think that medical language surrounding addiction provides liberation from the moralized language, evidence suggests that this is not necessarily the case. On the other hand non-disease models of addiction may seem to resuscitate problematic forms of the moralization of addiction, including, invoking blame, shame, and the wholesale rejection of addicts as people who have deep character flaws, while ignoring the complex biological and social context of addiction. This is also not necessarily the case. We argue that a deficit in reasons responsiveness as basis for attribution of moral responsibility can be realized by multiple different causes, disease being one, but it also seems likely that alternative accounts of addiction as developed by Flanagan, Lewis, and Levy, may also involve mechanisms, psychological, social, and neurobiological that can diminish reasons responsiveness. It thus seems to us that nondisease models of addiction do not necessarily involve moralization. Hence, a non-stigmatizing approach to recovery can be realized in ways that are consistent with both the disease model and alternative models of addiction.     

Coronavirus Stress,Optimism-Pessimism,Psychological Inflexibility,and Psychological Health: Psychometric Properties of the Coronavirus Stress Measure

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction - The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is currently a global health threat attributed to negatively affecting the mental health and well-being of...     

The Psychological Basis of Addiction

This paper treats addiction as a problem of motivation, and reviews three main approaches to understanding motivation as applied to addiction: decision-theory, drive theory and behaviourism. Decision theory considers addicts to be individuals who work out the costs and benefits of their behaviour and, rightly or wrongly, make decisions which lead to the continuation of their addiction. Factors which weigh in the ‘balance sheet’ may include the functions provided by the addiction and withdrawal symptoms which occur during abstinence. The decision-theory approach ties in with other cognitive theories about how beliefs and feelings relevant to decision making are generated; such theories include attribution theory and dissonance theory. Drive theory asserts that addicts are subject to powerful forces which energise and direct behaviour. These forces may result from the addiction tapping into existing drive mechanisms, creating disturbances in these drive mechanisms, or resulting from the acquisition of new drives which may operate at a physiological, psychological or social level. The behaviourist approach eschews the use of hypothetical constructs and focuses instead on directly observable contingencies between behaviour and environmental events. Mechanisms underlying these contingencies are sought at the level of neural pathways. All three approaches have something to offer and many researchers in the field of addiction borrow freely from each.     

Exercise Addiction in Athletes: a Systematic Review of the Literature

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction - Athletes train on a pre-determined training schedule. Scheduled behaviors are difficult to become “addictive” because urges and...     

The Role of Context in Online Gaming Excess and Addiction: Some Case Study Evidence

Research into online gaming addiction is a relatively new area of psychological study. Furthermore, there are studies that have claimed that online gaming addiction may be addictive because of self-report accounts of very excessive use of up to 80 h a week. This study uses data from two case studies to highlight the role of context in distinguishing excessive gaming from addictive gaming. Both of the gamers in this study claimed to be playing for up to 14 h a day yet and although they were behaviorally identical in terms of their game playing, they were very different in terms of psychological motivation and the meaning and experience of gaming within their lives. It is argued that one of the players appears to be genuinely addicted to online gaming but that the other player is not based on context and consequences. The two cases outlined highlight the importance of context in the life of a gamer and demonstrates that excessive gaming does not necessarily mean that a person is addicted. It is argued that online gaming addiction should be characterized by the extent to which excessive gaming impacts negatively on other areas of the gamers’ lives rather than the amount of time spent playing. It is also concluded that an activity cannot be described as an addiction if there are few (or no) negative consequences in the player’s life even if the gamer is playing 14 h a day.     

Personality Factors in Exercise Addiction: A Pilot Study Exploring the Role of Narcissism,Extraversion, and Agreeableness

Despite the increased evidence and acceptance of exercise being classed as a behavioral addiction, there is limited research examining personality characteristics within exercise addicts. The purpose of this study was to examine three personality traits (narcissism, extraversion, and agreeableness) and to examine their role in exercise addiction. The sample comprised 114 voluntary participants (74 females and 40 males) who completed the (i) Exercise Addiction Inventory, (ii) Narcissistic Personality Inventory, and (iii) Ten-Item Personality Inventory, as well as demographic questions and questions concerning their engagement and intensity levels of exercise. Results indicated a low incidence of individuals who were classed as at risk of exercise addiction (7%), but a high incidence of symptomatic individuals (75%). Results suggested that extraversion and narcissism may be underlying factors in exercise addiction with no effect for agreeableness. Exercise engagement and intensity were also related to exercise addiction. Further research examining the relationship between personality types and exercise addiction may be useful in identifying individuals at risk for developing exercise addiction.

     

A Qualitative Thematic Analysis of Exercise Addiction: An Exploratory Study

Although generally acknowledged as health enhancing, exercise has also been recognised as having the potential to become damaging. The most popular viewpoint has been that extreme exercising is a form of addiction. The current study was designed to provide an exploratory qualitative analysis of the themes underlying exercise behaviour. A total of 100 self-selected gym users were administered a questionnaire incorporating the Exercise Addiction Inventory [Terry, A., Szabo, A., & Griffiths, M.D. (2004)] and a number of open-ended questions. Results showed that 8% of the participants scored over 24 (out of 30) and were operationally defined as exercise addicts. The focus of this study was the addition of the qualitative open-ended questions exploring positive and negative experiences of exercise. These additional questions aided in making the distinction between committed exercisers and those at risk of exercise addiction clearer. Participants who were committed responded with understandable and functional psychological reasons for their exercise behaviour. Those who were identified as being at risk from exercise addiction indicated difficulties in other areas in their lives drove them to high and possibly dangerous levels of exercise.     

Exercise and Internet Addiction: Communalities and Differences Between Two Problematic Behaviours

The scholastic literature contains hundreds of references on subjects of exercise and Internet addiction. These two opposite addictions, in terms of physical-energy requirements and physical versus cognitive components, are examined. Commonalities and differences are explored in parallel. While both forms of addictions share common symptoms that meet the theoretically proposed characteristics of behavioural addiction, they are different in several ways: Exercise addiction is specific to a form or a collection of forms of physical activity(ies), but Internet addiction is unspecific (the activity could be sex, gambling, e-mail, shopping, video games and other). Exercise is an activity while the Internet is a medium on which different activities take place. The existence of these two addictive behaviours is also questioned while exploring co-morbidities accompanying these two problematic behaviours. It is suggested that both addictions may be manifestation of other behavioural problems rather then being a diagnosable psychiatric illness on their own. It is not surprising, then, that the DSM IV does not contain a classification for these problematic behaviours.     

Technological Addiction in Adolescents: the Interplay Between Parenting and Psychological Basic Needs

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction - Although technological addictions, similar to other behavioural addictions, share psychosocial risk factors with substance-related addictions,...     

The Love Addiction Inventory: Preliminary Findings of the Development Process and Psychometric Characteristics

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction - Although the existence of dysfunctional love relationships is well known and the term “love addiction” dates back to the 1970s,...     

Measuring the Functional Impact of Behavioral Inflexibility in Children with Autism Using the Behavioral Inflexibility Scale: Clinical Interview (BIS-CI)

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - For individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), behavioral inflexibility can affect multiple domains of functioning and family life. The...     

The Influence of Psychological Needs and Exercise Motivation on Exercise Dependence among Chinese College Students

To explore the influence of exercise motivation and basic psychological needs on exercise dependence among Chinese college students. 1689 college students engaged in long-term exercise were selected from three universities in Hunan province in China as the objects of the survey. 1601 valid copies of the questionnaire were collected. Exercise Addiction Inventory, Motivation for Physical Activity Measure-Revised, Psychological Need Satisfaction in Exercise Scale and other questionnaires were used in the correlation analysis and structural equation model to investigate the influence of psychological needs and exercise motivation on exercise dependence among Chinese college students. Appearance motivation and ability motivation directly affect exercise dependence positively (r?=?0.303, r?=?0.269), while competence need directly affects exercise dependence positively (r?=?0.309), and indirectly affects exercise dependence through appearance motivation and ability motivation. Appearance motivation and ability motivation directly affect exercise dependence positively; competence need not only directly affects exercise dependence but also indirectly affects it through appearance and ability.     

Relationships Between Early Maladaptive Schemas and Smartphone Addiction: the Moderating Role of Mindfulness

This study investigated the relationships between early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) and smartphone addiction. The study further investigated the moderating role of mindfulness in the relationship between EMSs and smartphone addiction. The study employed a SEM-based multi-group analysis using data collected from 660 mobile users in Turkey. Results indicated that none of the EMSs were significantly associated with smartphone addiction for average users. On the other hand, certain EMSs were significantly associated with smartphone addiction for intermittent and addicted users. The schemas of social isolation/mistrust, approval seeking, and abandonment were positively associated with smartphone addiction for intermittent users, whereas approval seeking and entitlement/insufficient self-control were positively associated with smartphone addiction for addicted users. The findings implied that those who have higher score on the EMSs were more likely to become addicted to smartphones. The results further indicated that mindfulness significantly moderated these relationships, suggesting that as mindfulness increases, the number of schemas related to smartphone addiction decreases.

     

Psychological Impacts of Coronavirus Outbreaks on Adults: A Rapid Evidence Review

A recent rapid review highlighted the negative psychological impacts of quarantining during coronavirus outbreaks on the public. However, to date, there has been no review of the psychological impacts of coronaviruson adults using research from community samples and not restricted to people quarantined during coronavirus.A rapid review was conducted to provide timely evidence about the mental health implications of coronavirusoutbreaks on adults and to inform psychological research concerning the current COVID-19 outbreak. Threedatabases and Google Scholar were searched and a total of 27 studies were identified. Symptoms of anxietyand depression were identified during coronavirus outbreaks alongside concerns about becoming infected andfamily becoming infected. Those with pre-existing mental health conditions, young adults, women and thosereporting physical symptoms appear to be vulnerable to negative psychological outcomes during coronavirus outbreaks. How people think about and understand coronavirus, and the coping strategies employed by people, mayplay a role in mitigating negative psychological outcomes. Results demonstrate the adverse psychological impactsof coronavirus outbreaks on adults and the need for continued investment in mental health services for the widercommunity during these times. Further longitudinal research is required to ascertain the long-term psychologicalconsequences of coronavirus outbreaks. This review can be used to inform continued research on the psychological impacts of COVID-19 on adults.     

Exercise Addiction During the COVID-19 Pandemic: an International Study Confirming the Need for Considering Passion and Perfectionism

Various levels of lockdown due to COVID-19 limit people’s habitual physical activity. Individuals addicted to exercise, health-oriented, and team-exercisers could be the most affected. We examined the COVID-19-related changes in exercise volume in 1079 exercisers from eight Spanish-speaking nations based on exercise addiction categories, primary reasons for exercise, and forms of exercise. The COVID-19-related decrease in exercise volume was 49.24% in the sample. The proportion of the risk of exercise addiction was 15.2%. Most (81.7%) of the participants exercised for a health-related reason. These exercisers reported lesser decrease in their exercise volume than those exercising for social reasons. The risk of exercise addiction was inversely related to changes in exercise volume, but after controlling for passion and perfectionism the relationship vanished. The reported effect of COVID-19 on training did not differ between the exercise addiction groups. The findings also confirm that exercise addiction research should control for passion and perfectionism.

     

Facebook Addiction and Subjective Well-Being: a Study of the Mediating Role of Shyness and Loneliness

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction - Within the rise of social networking sites, Facebook has gained a huge amount of popularity and Facebook has been matched with an expanding...