Oral Nicotine Pouch (ONP) use is more common among people who smoke cigarettes or vape nicotine, with smoking or vaping cessation identified as a main motive for use. However, evidence is limited as to how variables that may be considered precursors to successful smoking or vaping cessation (e.g., motivation to quit, self-efficacy) are associated with current ONP use. To address this gap, we collected cross-sectional data from 700 U.S. adults (M age = 33.3, SD = 5.5, 45% women; 65% White) who primarily smoked cigarettes (n = 350) or vaped (n = 350). Results showed that motivation to quit smoking and vaping was inversely associated with past-30-day ONP use frequency among individuals who primarily smoked [Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) = 0.82 (0.70, 0.95), p < 0.01] and primarily vaped [IRR = 0.81 (0.68, 0.97), p < 0.05], respectively. Among individuals who primarily smoked, greater number of past-year quit attempts, but not self-efficacy or trying to quit smoking at present, was positively associated with higher frequency of past-30-day ONP use [IRR = 1.09 (1.03, 1.16), p < 0.01]. Among individuals who primarily vaped, self-efficacy, but not past-year quit attempts or trying to quit vaping at present, was positively associated with higher past-30-day ONP use frequency [IRR = 1.07 (1.01, 1.14), p < 0.05]. Based on the current data, lower motivation to quit smoking or vaping may be associated with higher past-month ONP use count. More population-based studies are needed to better understand the consequences of ONP use on smoking and vaping.

Alcohol use remains a significant problem among young adults (YAs), and growing evidence suggests exposure to alcohol-related content (ARC) on social media may contribute to increased alcohol use. ARC often portrays drinking as rewarding and/or normative, potentially shaping drinking motives, which are key predictors of alcohol use. Therefore, the present study sought to longitudinally examine if drinking motives mediate the associations between (a) exposure to peers' ARC on social media and (b) perceived number of friends posting ARC and YA alcohol use over an 8-week period. A sample of N = 266 YAs (ages 18-30) in the US who reported consuming ≥8 drinks per week completed baseline, 4- and 8-week follow-up surveys assessing ARC exposure, perceived number of peers posting ARC, drinking motives, and alcohol use. Eight longitudinal mediated growth curve models were tested, evaluating drinking motives (social, enhancement, coping, conformity) as mediators. Both ARC exposure and perceived ARC posting were significantly associated with all four motives, with each predicting baseline alcohol use, however, none predicted longitudinal change in alcohol use. Coping and enhancement motives significantly mediated the association between ARC exposure and baseline alcohol use. All four motives significantly mediated the association between perceived number of friends posting ARC and baseline alcohol use, suggesting proximal peer cues may be especially influential. Findings highlight the roles of coping and enhancement motives in linking ARC exposure to YA drinking. Programs targeting motivational pathways and perceived peer norms and challenging social media-driven alcohol motivations may help reduce YA alcohol use.

Few studies have identified how facets of impulsivity relate to recovery in opioid use disorder (OUD). Treatment-enrolled individuals with OUD (n = 167) and healthy controls (CTL; n = 46) completed the Urgency, Premeditation, Perseverance, Sensation Seeking, Positive Urgency (UPPS-P) Impulsive Behavior Scale along with demographic and clinical measures at visit 1. Over the next three months, abstinence and return to use were documented for participants with OUD (via self-report, alcohol breathalyzer, urine drug screen, and secondary contact communication). Participants with OUD who returned to use (n = 59) did not complete further study visits, whereas those who remained abstinent (n = 43) and CTL (n = 36) completed the UPPS-P at three additional visits. Group analyses compared: (1) OUD (including the two subgroups) and CTL on visit 1 UPPS-P scores; and (2) abstinent OUD and CTL groups on UPPS-P scores across four visits. Regressions examined associations between visit 1 UPPS-P scores and OUD demographic and clinical characteristics. Results indicated that: (1) participants with OUD reported higher visit 1 scores than CTL on all five UPPS-P facets (none of which differentiated OUD subgroups); (2) within the OUD group, greater anxiety sensitivity severity was associated with higher Positive and Negative Urgency and Lack of Perseverance scores (argued to reflect heightened arousal in common); and (3) Positive and Negative Urgency and Lack of Perseverance scores decreased for participants with OUD who remained abstinent (but not CTL) over time. While heightened impulsivity may not be associated with return to substance use, individuals report decreased emotional urgency and increased perseverance during early addiction recovery.

Problematic smartphone use (PSU) has been recognized as a significant risk factor for academic burnout. Nevertheless, the longitudinal dynamic processes and underlying psychological mechanisms linking these two constructs remain insufficiently underexplored. Drawing on the Resource Depletion Theory and the Compensatory Internet Use Theory, the present three-wave longitudinal study investigated the mediating role of executive dysfunction in the reciprocal relationship between PSU and academic burnout among Chinese adolescents. A total of 860 adolescents (48.0% male; baseline Mage = 12.36, SD = 0.50) were followed at 6-month lags, with the overall study duration spanning 12 months. Results from cross-lagged panel modeling revealed that: (a) there were significant bidirectional associations between PSU and executive dysfunction (βs ranged from 0.08 to 0.18, ps < 0.01); (b) significant bidirectional relations also existed between executive dysfunction and academic burnout (βs ranged from 0.06 to 0.08, ps < 0.01); (c) executive dysfunction mediated the longitudinal pathway from PSU to academic burnout (indirect effect = 0.005, 95%CI [0.001, 0.011]), and the reverse pathway from academic burnout to PSU (indirect effect = 0.015, 95%CI [0.005, 0.027]). These findings reveal significant reciprocal associations between PSU and academic burnout, and underscore that executive function serves as a target for preventing and intervening of the two issues among adolescents.

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a frequent and often treatment-resistant condition, with high relapse rates and frequent psychiatric comorbidities. In this randomized, double-blind pilot trial, 38 patients with AUD were assigned to receive either active anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex or sham stimulation, in addition to standard care. The protocol consisted of 1 mA for 20 min per session, followed by maintenance stimulation over a 12-week period. The preregistered confirmatory outcomes were changes in craving severity assessed by the Brief Substance Craving Scale (BSCS) and a visual analog scale (VAS). Active tDCS did not demonstrate superiority over sham stimulation on these registered craving outcomes. However, exploratory analyses suggested possible differential effects of active tDCS on specific clinical dimensions, including reward-related craving and depressive symptoms. In particular, active stimulation was associated with greater improvement in reward craving and depressive symptomatology at selected follow-up timepoints compared with sham stimulation. These findings should be interpreted as preliminary and hypothesis-generating, given the pilot design, limited sample size, and exploratory nature of these outcomes. No major adverse effects were observed, and treatment was generally well tolerated. Overall, this pilot trial suggests that prefrontal tDCS may warrant further investigation as a potential adjunctive intervention targeting reward-related craving and mood symptoms in AUD.

Gaming disorder is a prevalent behavioral disorder among adolescents, exerting a negative impact on their social development. Parental rejection has been suggested as a core risk factor for gaming disorder symptoms. However, longitudinal research on the direction of this association and the underlying psychological mechanisms remains limited, with most studies failing to disentangle between-person and within-person effects. To address this gap, this study conducted a three-wave longitudinal survey over one year with 1,987 adolescents (56.1% male, Mage = 12.32). Using the Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model, we examined the bidirectional relationship between parental rejection and gaming disorder symptoms, and the mediating role of school engagement. At the within-person level, parental rejection directly predicted gaming disorder symptoms, whereas gaming disorder symptoms indirectly predicted parental rejection through the mediating effect of school engagement. These findings not only enhance our understanding of the longitudinal relationships among parental rejection, school engagement, and gaming disorder symptoms, but also underscore the complex interplay between changes in family and school environments and the development of gaming disorder in adolescents.

Although gaming disorder (GD) and depression commonly co-occur, no prior study has examined their symptom-level temporal dynamics through a theoretical lens. This longitudinal study employed cross-lagged panel network analysis (CLPN) to examine 3,203 Chinese college students (73.90% male, 26.10% female) across two time points (6-month interval) to validate the sex-specific temporal mechanisms of the I-PACE (Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution) model. Bidirectional predictive relationships emerged between GD and depression symptoms, with depression showing stronger predictive stability (89.71% vs 77.27% positive connections). Key bridge symptoms included Psychomotor Agitation (Bridge EI1 = 0.690), Time concealment (BridgeEI1 = 0.499) and Game Anxiety (BridgeEI1 = 0.448). Sex-specific network comparisons revealed largely divergent network structures and non-overlapping centrality profiles (edge correlation: r = 0.15, 49% of edges differing in directionality). In males, psychomotor agitation (Bridge EI = 0.826) and time concealment (Bridge EI = 0.595) emerged as descriptively prominent bridge nodes, whereas in females, social withdrawal served as the primary bridge node (Bridge EI = 0.356). The findings provide empirical validation for sex-specific modifications to the I-PACE model, suggesting sex-specific tailored intervention approaches targeting bridge symptoms may enhance therapeutic efficacy for GD-depression comorbidity.

Increased use of social media by youth is a significant public health concern. Youth are commonly exposed to positive depictions of substance use online and that exposure is associated with substance use. However, little research has evaluated whether common smartphone applications are differentially associated with substance use. The present study evaluated associations between time spent on common social media applications and substance use in adolescents. Data were drawn from a subsample of the nationally-diverse cohort in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study and began at the first wave at which sensor-based smartphone data were available (n = 1,522; Waves 4-6, age 13-16). Associations between substance use and daily hours on 6 applications were calculated at analytical baseline (Wave 4-6; n = 1,522), and one year afterward (Wave 5 or 6; n = 1,121). Cross-sectional analyses evaluated associations between use of each application and alcohol, nicotine/tobacco, and cannabis use at analytical baseline. For those who reported substance use at analytical baseline, prospective analyses tested associations between use of each application and substance use one year later. Across analyses, we found positive associations between hours of Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram use and multiple measures of substance use, while YouTube hours were negatively associated with substance use. Findings may be related to platform-based differences in exposure to positive messages about substance use, and also to adolescents' motives for using each platform. Findings suggest a need for a nuanced approach to the development of prevention and intervention programs designed to address social media impacts on adolescent substance use.