Purpose of Review: The COVID-19 pandemic changed people’s lifestyles and such changed lifestyles included the potential of increasing addictive behaviors. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the prevalence of different behavioral addictions (i.e., internet addiction, smartphone addiction, gaming addiction, social media addiction, food addiction, exercise addiction, gambling addiction, and shopping addiction) both overall and separately.Recent Findings: Four databases (PubMed,Scopus, ISI Web of Knowledge, andProQuest) were searched. Peer-reviewed papers published in English between December 2019 and July 2022 were reviewed and analyzed. Search terms were selected using PECO-S criteria: population (no limitation in participants’ characteristics), exposure (COVID-19 pandemic), comparison (healthy populations), outcome (frequency or prevalence of behavioral addiction), and study design (observational study). A total of 94 studies with 237,657 participants from 40 different countries (mean age 25.02 years; 57.41% females). The overall prevalence of behavioral addiction irrespective of addiction type (after correcting for publication bias) was 11.1% (95%CI: 5.4 to 16.8%). The prevalence rates for each separate behavioral addiction (after correcting for publication bias) were 10.6% for internet addiction, 30.7% for smartphone addiction, 5.3% for gaming addiction, 15.1% for social media addiction, 21% for food addiction, 9.4% for sex addiction, 7% for exercise addiction, 7.2% for gambling addiction, and 7.2% for shopping addiction. In the lockdown periods, prevalence of food addiction, gaming addiction, and social media addiction was higher compared to non-lockdown periods. Smartphone and social media addiction was associated with methodological quality of studies (i.e., the higher the risk of boas, the higher the prevalence rate). Other associated factors of social media addiction were the percentage of female participants, mean age of participants, percentage of individuals using the internet in country, and developing status of country. The percentage of individuals in the population using the internet was associated with all the prevalence of behavioral addiction overall and the prevalence of sex addiction and gambling addiction. Gaming addiction prevalence was associated with data collection method (online vs. other methods) that is gaming addiction prevalence was much lower using online methods to collect the data.Summary: Behavioral addictions appeared to be potential health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare providers and government authorities should foster some campaigns that assist people in coping with stress during COVID-19 pandemics to prevent them from developing behavioral addictions during COVID-19 and subsequent pandemics.

Background: The primary goal of our study is to assess the national US prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), along with its socio-demographic characteristics, severity, and co-occurring medical and psychiatric disorders, using data from the 2020–2021 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH). Methods: We analyzed 2020–2021 NSCH data to estimate the prevalence of ever-diagnosed and current ASD among 79,182 children and adolescents (3–17 years). Univariate and multivariate regression models were used to examine associations between medical and psychiatric co-morbidities, socio-demographic factors, and ASD severity. Results: Adolescents (11–17 years) and males were more likely to have ASD, with males comprising 78.7% of the ASD group. The mean age of the sample was 10.1 ± 4.6 years, and 3.2% had an ASD diagnosis. Children from lower-income households and those with caregivers who completed only a high school education were more likely to have ASD. Nearly 96.4% of children with ASD had at least one co-morbid condition. The most common neuropsychiatric co-morbidities were developmental delay (64%), behavioral and conduct problems (57.8%), and anxiety disorder (45.7%), while the most common medical conditions were allergies (32.4%), genetic disorders (26.2%), and asthma (12.6%). Gender disparities in ASD presentation were evident that females with ASD were more likely to experience vision problems, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, depression, and intellectual disability but had lower odds of ADHD and anxiety problems. Greater ASD severity was linked to higher odds of intellectual disability (OR: 5.8, p < 0.001), developmental delay (OR: 5.0, p < 0.001), epilepsy, Down syndrome (OR: 3.4, p < 0.001), vision problems (OR: 2.5, p < 0.001), and genetic disorders (OR: 2.3, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study provides updated prevalence estimates of ASD and highlights the high burden of co-morbidities, emphasizing the need for comprehensive, multidisciplinary approaches in ASD management. Additionally, our findings emphasize gender differences in ASD presentation, which should be considered in future research and clinical practice to ensure more tailored diagnostic and intervention strategies.

Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) consists of heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorders with impairments in social communication, repetitive behaviors, and restricted interests. This condition is associated with several co-morbidities which significantly affect the quality of life. Therefore, individuals with ASD should undergo screening for common co-morbidities to enable early diagnosis and treatment. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and common socio-demographic characteristics of ASD as well as both medical and psychiatric co-morbidities and their effects on the severity of ASD. Methods Data from the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) in the US from 2020 to 2021 were used in this study. We included 79,182 children and adolescents aged between 3 to 17 years for the analysis. The mean age of these individuals was 10.1 (standard deviation: 4.6), and 2,568 (3.2%) had ASD diagnosis. Results Our analysis showed that ASD is more common in males (78.7%) than females (21.3%). Additionally, ASD was associated with lower family income and a higher level of education in the family. We found that 96.4% of patients developed at least one co-morbid condition. The most common neuropsychiatric co-morbidities included developmental delay (64%), behavioral and conduct problems (57.8%), and anxiety (45.7%). While the most common medical co-morbidities were allergies (32.4%), genetic disorders (26.2%), and asthma (12.6%). The odds of intellectual disability (odds ratio, OR: 5.8), developmental delay (OR: 5.0), Down syndrome (OR: 4.5), epilepsy (OR: 3.4), cerebral palsy (OR: 3.0), vision problems (OR: 2.5), and genetic disorders (OR: 2.3) were significantly higher among severe cases. Conclusions The presence of numerous co-morbidities in individuals with ASD, often linked to increased ASD severity, underscores the critical importance of comprehensive screening, early diagnosis, and targeted treatment strategies to enhance the overall health and well-being of these individuals.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the common clinical characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the next step, clinical features associated with the severity of ASD were identified. Background: ASD consists of a heterogeneous ...