The sudden appearance and spread of Internet addiction in adolescent populations, in association with the rapid escalation of consumed Internet content and the broad availability of smartphones and tablets with Internet access, is posing a new challenge for classical addictology which requires urgent solutions. Like the majority of other psychopathological conditions, pathological Internet addiction depends upon a group of multifactor polygenic conditions. For each specific case, there is a unique combination of inherited characteristics (nervous tissue structure, secretion, degradation, and reception of neuromediators), and many are extra-environment factors (family-related, social, and ethnic-cultural). One of the main challenges in the development of the bio-psychosocial model of Internet addiction is to determine which genes and neuromediators are responsible for increased addiction susceptibility. This information will herald the start of a search for new therapeutic targets and the development of early prevention strategies, including the assessment of genetic risk levels. This review summarizes the literature and currently available knowledge related to neurobiological risk factors regarding Internet addiction in adolescents. Genetic, neurochemical and neuroimaging data are presented with links to actual pathogenetic hypotheses according to the bio-psychosocial model of IA forming.

Neurobiological risk factors for problematic social media use as a specific form of Internet addiction: A narrative review

This study aims to establish a link between disturbances in the night sleep habitus, quality of sleep, and daytime sleepiness in adolescents with Internet addiction and different types of content consumed. Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study of a school sample in three large cities in Central Siberia. 4615 schoolchildren of 12–18 years old were examined. The Russian-language versions of the Chen Internet Addiction Scale, the Game Addiction Scale for Adolescents, and the Social Media Disorder Scale were used to identify Internet addiction. Questions from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire were used to assess nighttime sleep. Daytime sleepiness was assessed using the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale questionnaire. Results: Adolescents with Internet addiction go to bed and wake up late; they are characterized by a decrease in the duration of nighttime sleep, an increase in sleep onset latency, and frequent nighttime awakenings, as well as more pronounced daytime sleepiness. Among the sleep parameters studied, the indicators of daytime sleepiness and night awakening scales have the highest effect size in Internet-addicted adolescents, regardless of the media consumed. Conclusion: Internet-addicted adolescents are characterized by significant disturbances in the quality of nighttime sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness, which requires appropriate psychological correction.

We aimed to assess the prevalence, content structure and, psychological comorbidity of PIU in Russian adolescents. In addition, the design of our research provided an opportunity to compare demographic and psychological patterns of different forms of PIU: generalized (PIUgen) and specific problematic video game use (PUgame), as well as problematic social media use (PUsocial). Methods: This is a one-stage cross-sectional observational study of school sampling in three major Siberian cities. A total of 4514 schoolchildren aged 12–18 (mean age 14.52 ± 1.52 years) were surveyed. The Chen Internet Addiction Scale, the Game Addiction Scale for Adolescents, and the Social Media Disorder Scale were used to identify PIU and its types. Results: The prevalence of PIUgen among adolescents in Central Siberia was 7.2%; the prevalence of PUgame was 10.4%; the prevalence of PUsocial was 8.0%. The results of structural equation modelling, as well as the correlation analysis data, suggest two possible patterns of psychosocial problems with PIU—the first one is characteristic of both PIUgen and PUsocial. The second one—which is significantly different—is characteristic of PUgame. Conclusions: Urban adolescents in Central Siberia do not differ significantly from their Asian and European peers. Our findings support the concept of rejecting the term “generalized PIU” as a single psychological construct.

Objectives. The review summarizes the currently available data on neurobiological risk factors for the formation of Internet addiction (IA) in adolescents, and also indicates the most promising areas of research in this area. Background. The rapid emergence and spread of IA in teenage populations, combined with the rapid change in consumed content due to the general availability of mobile access to the network and the emergence of new devices, poses new challenges for classical psychology and fundamental medicine that need to be addressed urgently. Like most other chronic psychopathological conditions, pathological heart failure belongs to the group of multifactorial polygenic diseases, where in each case there is a unique combined effect of congenital features of the functioning of higher nervous activity, some of which are genetically determined (structural features of the structure of the nervous tissue, spectrum of secretion, degradation and the reception of neurotransmitters) with the influence of many environmental factors (family, social, ethnocultural). Methodology. To date, a large number of studies have been conducted to study the pathogenesis of IA using various neuroimaging techniques. Using twin studies while taking into account ethnic differences, the genetic component of susceptibility to IA was established, in addition, a serious comorbidity of Internet addiction was revealed. Conclusions. One of the most important fundamental tasks of studying Internet addiction is the identification of specific genes and neurotransmitter associations that are respon¬sible for the predisposition to the formation of Internet addiction, which will allow searching for new therapeutic targets and ways for early prevention with an assessment of the degree of genetic risk.

Интернет-зависимость у подростков Центральной Сибири: анализ распространенности и структура потребляемого контента