Behavioral Addiction: Predictors of Onset

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the Journal of Clinical Medicine (JCM) editorial team, we are delighted to present a new Special Issue on the topic of “Behavioral Addiction: Predictors of Onset”, Guest Edited by Dr. Roberta Biolcati and Dr. Giacomo Mancini, from the University of Bologna, Italy.

The area of behavioral addiction research is on the move. New knowledge suggests that, for some individuals a daily activity providing arousal experience should be addictive, such as chemical. Several researchers and practitioners have discussed the clinical features of behavioral addictions. In general, they have agreed that individuals may fall victim to maladaptive, compulsive patterns of behavior involving daily activities (e.g., gambling, the Internet, eating, shopping, exercising, or work), that represent attempts at reach rewarding psychological effects but may result in significant negative outcomes. With the new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the revised classification of “Addiction and Related Disorders” moves beyond a focus on withdrawal and tolerance, (dependence features) towards the power of motivation for engagement in addictive behaviors. Studies over the last three decades suggest that a wide range of behavioral addictions may serve similar purposes: it may be useful to reflect on the addictions in terms of specific predictors such as personality traits, psychosocial antecedents, as well as problems of lifestyle. The different form of behavioral addiction may be a function of such variables as availability, personality, differential socialization, motivations, and outcome expectations.

The present Special Issue aims to deep the specificity of predictors across several behavioral addiction. In summary, the theoretical approach of considering and treating certain daily behaviors as potentially addictive is to increase the clinicians knowledge of a yet poorly explored area and to take seriously care of the patients who suffer from the lack of control over their behaviors.

Dr. Roberta Biolcati
Dr. Giacomo Mancini
Guest Editors

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