The Role of Desire Thinking and Craving in Problematic Smartphone Use

The Elaborated Intrusion Theory of desire and the metacognitive model of desire thinking posit that the intensification of craving centres on the initiation of a voluntary cognitive process named desire thinking (DT). The role of DT in eliciting craving has been studied extensively in substance use disorders and, more recently, in some behavioral addictions. The main aim of the current study was to test the mediating role of DT and craving in the association between psychological distress, boredom proneness, and problematic Smartphone use (PSU). Six hundred and forty-six participants (mean age = 27.57 ± 9.64; females = 74.8%) took part in the study and completed a battery of self-report measures. As evidenced by path analysis, psychological distress and boredom proneness were linked to PSU through (i) imaginal prefiguration and verbal perseveration components of DT’s serial mediation; and (ii) imaginal prefiguration and craving’s serial effect. The model accounted for 60% of PSU variance and showed good fit indices. The current findings highlight the role of DT, particularly the imaginal prefiguration, in craving for the Smartphone and provide evidence that DT is associated with PSU directly, supporting the distinction between DT and craving.