Journal of Behavioral Addictions最新文献

{"title":"Examining the transdiagnostic role of coping motives and experiential avoidance in the relationship between generalized anxiety disorder and addictive behaviours.","authors":"Jenna L Vieira, Martin M Antony, Karen Milligan, Nassim Tabri, Hyoun S Kim","doi":"10.1556/2006.2026.00064","DOIUrl":"10.1556/2006.2026.00064","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is highly comorbid with substance and behavioural addictions, but little is known about the psychosocial factors that underpin these relationships. The present study examined whether coping motives mediate the relationship between GAD symptom severity and the severity of symptoms of problematic alcohol use, cannabis use, gambling, and gaming more strongly at high levels of experiential avoidance.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Participants (N = 1,221) were Canadian adults recruited via Prolific, a crowdsourcing platform. They completed online self-report measures assessing GAD symptom severity, substance use and addictive behaviour severity, coping motives for each substance and addictive behaviour, and experiential avoidance.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>GAD symptom severity, substance use and addictive behaviour severity, coping motives, and experiential avoidance were positively associated in bivariate correlations (r = .08 to .77). In moderated mediation analyses, coping motives mediated the positive relationship between GAD symptom severity and both problematic alcohol use (95% BCa CI [ .002, .011]) and gambling symptom severity (95% BCa CI [ .002, .009]) at low and high levels of experiential avoidance (ps < .001), such that these effects became stronger at higher levels of experiential avoidance. No significant moderated mediation effects were observed in the cannabis and gaming models.</p><p><strong>Discussion and conclusions: </strong>Findings suggest that coping motives and experiential avoidance may interact to increase risk for both problematic alcohol use and gambling among individuals with elevated GAD symptoms, providing some empirical support for transdiagnostic conceptualizations of addictive behaviours. Such individuals may benefit from transdiagnostic psychological interventions that target maladaptive coping and experiential avoidance.</p>","PeriodicalId":15049,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Behavioral Addictions","volume":" ","pages":"1026-1038"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148793536","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Financial harms of regular gaming: Cross-national evidence from the international gaming survey.","authors":"Benjamin Johnson, Gary Chung Kai Chan, John B Saunders, Daniel Stjepanović, Wim van den Brink, Caitlin McClure-Thomas, Jiang Long, Kristiana Siste, Min Zhao, Na Zhong, Pim Widdershoven, Anne Marije Kaag, Janni Leung","doi":"10.1556/2006.2026.00092","DOIUrl":"10.1556/2006.2026.00092","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Gaming disorder is recognised in ICD-11 as an addictive disorder associated with persistent gaming leading to functional impairment. While many video games include monetised features such as microtransactions and other in-game purchases, financial harms are rarely examined as a potential negative consequence. The present study examined associations between higher versus lower risk of gaming disorder and two financial outcomes: game-related overspending and financial harm.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were from the International Gaming Study 2024, a cross-sectional survey of 1,522 adult regular gamers from Australia (n = 303), China (n = 314), Indonesia (n = 300), Netherlands (n = 303) and the United States (n = 302). Gaming disorder was screened using the Gaming Disorder Identification Test (GADIT), with participants classified into higher-risk (≥5) versus lower-risk (<5) groups.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In adjusted logistic models, membership in the higher-risk group was strongly associated with overspending (OR = 5.36, 95% CI: 3.31-8.69) and financial harm (OR = 7.76, 95% CI: 4.88-12.35). More specifically, among participants in the higher-risk group 80.2% reported overspending and 77.8% reported financial harm compared to 42.6 and 30.6% in the lower-risk group. Odds of financial harms were higher in China and Indonesia than in Australia, while odds in the United States and Netherlands did not differ significantly from Australia.</p><p><strong>Discussion and conclusions: </strong>Financial harms from gaming are common and most pronounced among individuals at higher risk of gaming disorder but are not limited to this group. These findings highlight the need for greater awareness of the risk for gaming-related financial harm, alongside strengthened consumer protection measures.</p>","PeriodicalId":15049,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Behavioral Addictions","volume":" ","pages":"1084-1091"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148684540","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A trans-therapeutic signature of recovery in internet gaming disorder: From shared network reorganization to molecular underpinnings.","authors":"Ningning Zeng, Jiejie Fu, Shuang Li, Haoseng Ni, Qinxuan Li, Xin Luo, Meiting Wei, Zhoukang Wu, Liangjiecheng Huang, Min Wang, Guangheng Dong","doi":"10.1556/2006.2025.00500","DOIUrl":"10.1556/2006.2025.00500","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>A variety of self-regulation interventions have shown efficacy in treating Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), but their shared and unique neurobiological mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to identify a common, trans-therapeutic neural signature of recovery and to delineate the specific connectivity fingerprints of five different self-regulation interventions for IGD.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This secondary analysis pooled resting-state fMRI data from 269 individuals with IGD who participated in one of five randomized controlled trials of self-regulation-based interventions: Approach Bias Modification (ApBM), Retrieval-Aversive Conditioning (R-AC), Progressive Aerobic Training (PAT), face-to-face Mindfulness Meditation (MM), and a Digital (online) mindfulness intervention. Participants were diagnosed with IGD according to DSM-5. Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression was used to identify a shared connectivity pattern associated with clinical improvement and similarity network fusion to define intervention-specific connectivity fingerprints. Imaging-transcriptomic analysis was further used to explore the molecular correlates.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>All interventions were associated with significant reductions in IGD severity. PLS analysis identified a shared connectivity pattern predictive of treatment response, characterized by a rebalancing of Subcortical Network (SCN) connectivity along the sensorimotor-association axis. This shared pattern was linked to gene expression profiles related to cellular stress and neuroplasticity. Each intervention also induced a unique connectivity fingerprint, targeting distinct neural circuits.</p><p><strong>Discussion and conclusions: </strong>Diverse self-regulation interventions for IGD converge on a shared therapeutic pathway involving the large-scale reorganization of cortico-subcortical circuits. These findings identify a robust neurobiological phenotype of recovery, offering a potential biomarker for treatment response and a target for future circuit-based therapies.</p>","PeriodicalId":15049,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Behavioral Addictions","volume":" ","pages":"1092-1104"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148684596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Drink more, bet more, spend more: Examining who engages in simultaneous drinking while sports betting and impact on betting behaviour.","authors":"Jonathan David, Hyoun S Kim, Joshua B Grubbs, Rory A Pfund, Matthew T Keough","doi":"10.1556/2006.2025.00577","DOIUrl":"10.1556/2006.2025.00577","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>There is a shared culture between sports betting and drinking alcohol, yet there is a lack of studies investigating predictors of simultaneous alcohol use, and whether drinking carries increased risk of gambling-related harms among sports bettors.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We examined four groups of Canadian sports bettors: (1) no alcohol use (n = 70), concurrent use (n = 429), (3) sometimes-simultaneous alcohol use (n = 211), and (4) always/almost always simultaneous alcohol use (n = 198). Participants completed measures of demographic characteristics, sports gambling-related variables, alcohol problems, gambling problems, and emotion dysregulation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Any simultaneous alcohol use was associated with younger age and gender diversity compared to concurrent and no alcohol use. Bisexuality was specifically linked to always simultaneous alcohol use. Always simultaneous alcohol use was also associated with higher alcohol and gambling problems compared to sometimes simultaneously drinking alcohol, despite the sometimes-simultaneous drinking group reporting higher sports betting frequency. Simultaneous alcohol use was also associated with a greater number of bets made and more money spent.</p><p><strong>Discussion and conclusions: </strong>Findings suggest that simultaneously drinking alcohol while sports betting is linked to making more bets and spending more money on bets. Demographic and psychological determinants of simultaneous drinking were generally consistent with the rest of the literature except that the group which always simultaneously drank alcohol reported lower sports gambling frequency, but greater alcohol and gambling problems. This highlights the harms associated with always simultaneously drinking while betting and also warrants future research to better understand these behaviours.</p>","PeriodicalId":15049,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Behavioral Addictions","volume":" ","pages":"1071-1083"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148684609","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An evolving threat: Problem gambling and sports wagering in the United States military.","authors":"Shane W Kraus, Joshua B Grubbs","doi":"10.1556/2006.2025.00527","DOIUrl":"10.1556/2006.2025.00527","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This study examined the stability and interplay of gambling depth, breadth, and problems in the United States (US) public, with a particular attention to military-affiliated individuals (i.e., veterans, active duty service members, reservists).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Longitudinal survey study using YouGov Opinion Polling's sample-matching methodology. A sample of 4,363 participants were collected as part of a large sport wagering project. Participants completed measuring assessing problem gambling symptoms, sports wagering status, gambling breadth and depth, and questions assessing military status and demographics. Analyses of Variance (ANOVAs) were conducted for group comparisons, and longitudinal models were specified using Random Intercept Cross Lagged Panel modeling.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Results indicated that these domains were largely stable over time, with low within-person variability and effects driven primarily by between-person differences. US veterans and active duty reported greater gambling breadth and problems, with active duty and reserve service members showing elevated risk across all domains. Sports wagers exhibited higher involvement and greater problems, while younger age was associated with more problems and breadth, and male gender with greater breadth and depth. Residual covariances suggested that changes in breadth, depth, and problems tended to co-occur. Within individuals, greater gambling frequency often preceded narrower breadth, indicating increased focus on specific activities.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Study limitations include reliance on self-report, long assessment intervals, and use of frequency rather than spending as the measure of depth. Findings highlight the need for targeted public health initiatives for problem gambling symptoms among US military personnel.</p>","PeriodicalId":15049,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Behavioral Addictions","volume":" ","pages":"1063-1070"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148603331","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Affective and neural modulation of smart device-related stimuli following a single session of evaluative conditioning.","authors":"Hye-Jin Kim, HeungSik Yoon, Sang Hee Kim","doi":"10.1556/2006.2026.00036","DOIUrl":"10.1556/2006.2026.00036","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Evaluative conditioning (EC) has shown potential to reduce maladaptive affective biases underlying problematic health-related behaviors. However, there is limited evidence applying EC to smart device-related stimuli. We examined whether EC training can modify affective and neural responses to these stimuli in a proof-of-concept study conducted in a non-clinical sample.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Healthy young participants underwent a single session of either negative or benign EC, during which smart device images served as conditioned stimuli (CSs) and were paired with negative or positive words as unconditioned stimuli (USs). Following EC, participants evaluated real-life news reports featuring positive and negative aspects of smartphone use, technological advances, and general social issues, while electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded to examine EC-dependent frontal and temporoparietal alpha asymmetry. CS valence ratings were also assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>EC affected CS valence ratings. Negatively conditioned smart CSs were rated more negatively in the negative EC group than in the benign EC group. These group differences were attenuated among individuals reporting greater smartphone withdrawal. In contrast, EC effects were not observed in evaluations of smartphone-related news reports. Notably, however, at the electrophysiological level, reduced leftward temporoparietal activation was observed in the negative EC group compared to the benign EC group across all news reports, possibly reflecting generally heightened emotional arousal.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>EC modulated affective responses to smart device cues in a healthy sample, supporting its potential relevance for EC-based interventions targeting problematic smart device use. Effects on complex socioemotional information were limited, warranting further research in clinical samples and with behavioral outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":15049,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Behavioral Addictions","volume":" ","pages":"1137-1147"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148603317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deep technologies for responsible gambling: A narrative review of policies and implementation strategies.","authors":"Leonor G Cardoso, Beatriz C R Barroso, Eduardo Rocha, Pedro Morgado, António Marques, Carla Rocha, Mark D Griffiths, Ornella Corazza, Ricardo Queirós, Artemisa R Dores","doi":"10.1556/2006.2026.00084","DOIUrl":"10.1556/2006.2026.00084","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Deep technologies, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and behavioural analytics, have emerged as promising tools to address complex social challenges. However, their integration into leisure activities, particularly online gambling, has raised concerns over the enhancement of user engagement, which might promote problem gambling behaviours. This review aimed to map how deep technologies intersect with responsible gambling regulations across jurisdictions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A qualitative scoping review was conducted to synthesise evidence from academic literature, legal and regulatory frameworks, and relevant grey literature. A comparative analysis was performed across key jurisdictions, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Malta, and selected non-European countries.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The review identified very few formal legal instruments that explicitly regulate the use of deep technologies in responsible gambling. The European Union Artificial Intelligence Act introduces binding requirements for high-risk AI systems, including those deployed in gambling, representing a pioneering step toward technology-specific regulation. In contrast, regulatory frameworks beyond Europe were generally non-binding or largely absent, with innovation primarily driven by operators acting voluntarily in the absence of legal mandates.</p><p><strong>Discussion and conclusions: </strong>This analysis underscores persistent gaps in legal oversight and advocates for a shift toward proactive, ethics-based governance models that integrate technological accountability and robust consumer protections. Overall, the findings suggest that regulatory frameworks must not only keep pace with rapid technological innovation but also prioritise prevention through enforceable, transparent, and harmonised policies across jurisdictions.</p>","PeriodicalId":15049,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Behavioral Addictions","volume":" ","pages":"981-991"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148578704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The use of Image and Performance-Enhancing Drugs (IPED) in behavioural addictions.","authors":"Ornella Corazza, Julius Burkauskas, Ilaria De Luca, Thomas Zandonai, Attila Szabo, Susana Jiménez-Murcia, Fernando Fernández-Aranda, Bernadette Kun, Todd L Jennings, Neil Gleason, Beáta Bőthe, Orsolya Király, Andrea Czakó, Zsolt Demetrovics","doi":"10.1556/2006.2025.00163","DOIUrl":"10.1556/2006.2025.00163","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Digitalisation and rapid technological advancements have intensified socio-cultural pressures surrounding body ideals and performance, contributing to the increased use of Image and Performance Enhancing Drugs (IPED). Body dissatisfaction, muscularity-oriented concerns, and distorted self-perception represent key drivers of this phenomenon and are further amplified by digital media, which increasingly promote IPED use. Although IPED use has been consistently associated with body image disturbances and eating-related psychopathology, its relationship with behavioural addictions remains largely underexplored. This represents a critical knowledge gap, given that IPEDs are often used to shape the body, regulate mood, sustain productivity, sharpen cognition, and intensify sexual experiences, all of which may contribute to compulsive patterns of behaviour.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This narrative review synthesises existing literature examining IPED use in relation to behavioural addictions, including exercise addiction, eating disorders, work addiction, gaming disorder, gambling disorder, and compulsive sexual behaviour disorder.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Moving beyond traditional doping frameworks, it examines how IPED use is shaped by appearance-related disorders, compulsive behaviours, and social validation pressures. Particular attention is given to the role of digital environments and online fora in facilitating access to IPEDs, normalising their use, and interacting with reinforcement processes in these conditions. By integrating previously fragmented lines of research, the review proposes a novel framework that conceptualises IPED use as recurring across diverse behavioural addictions rather than an isolated phenomenon confined to sport.</p><p><strong>Discussion and conclusions: </strong>Understanding the mechanisms linking IPED use, behavioural addictions, and digital contexts is crucial for informing targeted public health strategies and the development of effective prevention and intervention approaches.</p>","PeriodicalId":15049,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Behavioral Addictions","volume":" ","pages":"925-946"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148470818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Operationalizing brain rot on TikTok through linguistic, structural, and behavioral indicators of low-cognitive-value media content.","authors":"Sezai Tunca, Yavuz Selim Balcioglu, Ayse Ilgun-Kamanli, Ayse Bilgen, Cihan Yılmaz","doi":"10.1556/2006.2025.00241","DOIUrl":"10.1556/2006.2025.00241","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>This study investigates the linguistic, structural, and behavioral characteristics of \"brain rot\" content on TikTok, an emerging phenomenon defined by cognitively shallow, hyper-stimulating videos optimized for maximum passive engagement. The study aims to operationalize and detect \"brain rot\" content and to examine how such content relates to user engagement and interaction quality.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Drawing on a large-scale dataset of 78,452 TikTok videos, we employed a mixed-methods design combining Natural Language Processing, regression modeling, and qualitative coding. This approach enabled the identification of key textual, structural, and behavioral markers associated with low-cognitive-value media content.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The findings show that videos under 15 seconds, clickbait language, high transition frequency, and emotionally triggering content are significantly associated with higher view counts but lower comment depth. The results also indicate that verified and unverified creators contribute to the diffusion of \"brain rot\" content across different topic areas, suggesting that platform architecture shapes both content visibility and content quality.</p><p><strong>Discussion and conclusions: </strong>This study contributes a novel operational framework for identifying \"brain rot\" content and advances theoretical understanding of attention economics and algorithmic cultivation in short-form video environments. The findings highlight the broader implications of digital content strategies for user cognition, media literacy, and platform governance.</p>","PeriodicalId":15049,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Behavioral Addictions","volume":" ","pages":"650-660"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13371779/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148396156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Beyond \"toxicity:\" Rethinking rage, rivalry, and regulation in online games.","authors":"Elias Aboujaoude","doi":"10.1556/2006.2025.00462","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2025.00462","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The nomenclature used to describe harmful behavior in gaming remains vague and inconsistently applied. \"Toxicity\" has become the dominant label, yet it functions as an umbrella term encompassing heterogeneous behaviors that differ by context, intent, and cultural norms. This conceptual ambiguity obscures underlying psychological mechanisms that are critical for designing effective interventions. This article looks beyond descriptors to focus on psychological dynamics and how they can inform effective prevention efforts. We conducted a conceptual analysis integrating mimetic theory with existing literature on competitive gaming environments, online aggression, and community governance. We evaluated how gaming rivalry, internal group conflict, and scapegoating processes manifest in digital play and contribute to toxic behavior. Mimetic theory highlights how competitive structures can intensify interpersonal rivalry, foster cycles of retaliation, and create conditions in which players direct hostility toward convenient targets. These dynamics help explain why toxicity often escalates rapidly and becomes normalized within gaming communities. Evidence suggests that reducing competitive pressures through game design changes and strengthening community standards can mitigate these patterns. However, structural factors-such as platform incentives and limited oversight-may constrain the effectiveness of voluntary measures. Toxicity emerges from psychological, cultural, and economic forces that interact within competitive digital environments. This perspective underscores the limitations of purely taxonomic approaches and highlights the need for systemic interventions. Efforts to reduce toxicity in gaming require a comprehensive strategy that integrates psychological insight, cultural context, platform economics, and proactive governance. Mimetic theory offers a useful framework for guiding such multifaceted approaches and for informing future research on harmful online behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":15049,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Behavioral Addictions","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148382152","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}