A three-wave longitudinal study on the underlying metacognitive mechanism between depression and Internet gaming disorder.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and depression have negative consequences on individuals' mental health, but their relationships are complex. This three-wave longitudinal study aimed to detect the metacognitive mechanisms underlying the association between IGD tendency and depression based on the self-regulatory executive function model. METHODS: A total of 1,243 Chinese undergraduate student gamers (57% female, M = 19.77, SD = 1.29) were recruited at the baseline survey (Wave 1 [W1]), with 622 and 574 of them taking part in the two follow-up surveys (Wave 2 [W2] at 6 and Wave 3 [W3] at 12 months later), respectively. RESULTS: The three-wave path model demonstrated, after controlling for the autoregressive effect of each variable, that depression consistently predicted IGD tendency but not vice versa, while negative but not positive metacognitions about online gaming (MOG) significantly predicted both depression and IGD tendency. Moreover, two statistically significant mediation paths: (i) negative MOG [W1] → depression [W2] → IGD tendency [W3]; and (ii) depression [W1] → negative MOG [W2] → IGD tendency [W3] were identified. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: These findings extend the understanding of the associations among depression, IGD tendency, and MOG, highlighting how negative MOG has a stronger prospective effect than positive MOG on depression and IGD tendency, and also reveal the mutual mediation effects of depression and negative MOG on IGD tendency. Integrated programmes with both emotional regulation training and Metacognitive Therapy are recommended for IGD treatment.

Investigating the associations of the illness representations of gambling disorder with superstitious and responsible gambling.

Background: As a theoretical framework for understanding illness self-management, the commonsense model of self-regulation (CSM) has been commonly used to promote health behaviors. However, its application to examining gambling disorder (GD) is still in an exploratory stage. Objectives: Based on CSM, the current study aimed to address this knowledge gap and test whether illness representations (i.e., perceived consequences, illness coherence, and emotional representations) of GD are associated with gambling behaviors (i.e., responsible gambling [RG] and superstitious gambling). We also aimed to explore the potential mediating role of positive gambling beliefs (i.e., personal responsibility about gambling and gambling literacy) in such associations. Methods: An online questionnaire survey with snowballing sampling method was administered to Chinese adult past-year gamblers, and 603 valid responses were collected. The structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis with a bootstrapping approach was utilized to test the associations of illness representations with gambling behaviors and the hypothesized mediation effects of positive gambling beliefs. Results: We found that (a) perceived consequences of GD had significant, positive associations with RG and negative associations with superstitious gambling, with positive gambling beliefs acting as full mediators; (b) emotional representations for GD showed significant, negative correlations with RG and positive ones with superstitious gambling, with positive gambling beliefs acting as full and partial mediators, respectively; (c) the direct effect of illness coherence of GD on superstitious gambling behaviors was unexpectedly positive, and its indirect effects via positive gambling beliefs were nonsignificant. Discussion: Under the framework of CSM, the current findings provided new insights in understanding both controlled and at-risk gambling patterns from a perspective of illness self-management. We suggest future GD prevention campaigns may adopt psychoeducational programs to help gamblers form a better understanding about GD as an illness, which may promote RG practices and hence lower the risk of developing GD.

Perceived procedural justice and psychological flourishing among mental health professionals in Macao: a moderated mediation model.

This study aimed to examine whether and how organizational factors (i.e., procedural justice) are associated with psychological flourishing, an optimal mental state. Path analysis was conducted among 195 Chinese mental health professionals (females = 69%; Mean age = 30 years) in Macao, and results showed that emotional exhaustion partially mediated the positive association between procedural justice and psychological flourishing, whereas emotion regulation significantly diminished the effects of procedural injustice on emotional exhaustion. Our findings highlight the emotional mechanisms underlying the influence of organizational procedures on employees' wellbeing, and wellness programs for enhancing employees' emotional regulation skills are recommended.

Justice procédurale perçue et épanouissement psychologique chez les professionnels de la santé mentale à Macao: un modèle de médiation modérée. Cette étude visait à examiner si et comment les facteurs organisationnels (c'est-à-dire la justice procédurale) sont associés à l'épanouissement psychologique, un état mental optimal. Une analyse de parcours a été menée auprès de 195 professionnels chinois de la santé mentale (femmes = 69%; âge moyen = 30 ans) à Macao, et les résultats ont montré que l'épuisement émotionnel médiait partiellement l'association positive entre la justice procédurale et l'épanouissement psychologique, alors que la régulation des émotions diminuait considérablement les effets. d'injustice procédurale sur l'épuisement émotionnel. Nos résultats mettent en évidence les mécanismes émotionnels sous-jacents à l'influence des procédures organisationnelles sur le bien-être des employés, et des programmes de bien-être pour améliorer les compétences de régulation émotionnelle des employés sont recommandés.

Justicia procedimental percibida y florecimiento psicológico entre los profesionales de la salud mental en Macao: Un modelo de mediación moderada recomendado. El objetivo de este estudio es examinar si los factores organizativos (es decir, la justicia procedimental) se asocian con el bienestar psicológico, un estado mental óptimo, y cómo lo hacen. Los resultados mostraron que el agotamiento emocional medió parcialmente la asociación positiva entre la justicia procedimental y el bienestar psicológico, mientras que la regulación emocional disminuyó significativamente los efectos de la injusticia procedimental sobre el agotamiento emocional. Nuestros resultados ponen de relieve los mecanismos emocionales que subyacen a la influencia de los procedimientos organizativos en el bienestar de los empleados, y se recomiendan programas de bienestar para mejorar las habilidades de regulación emocional de los empleados.

The prospective effect of purpose in life on gambling disorder and psychological flourishing among university students.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Gambling disorder (GD) is a mental disorder with a relatively higher prevalence in university students compared to adolescents and adults. Its reciprocity with mental being indicators, such as psychological flourishing, would be expected, but prior to this study had not yet been empirically examined. In addition, the predictive value of purpose in life (PIL) on university students' GD and psychological flourishing also remained unknown. This 1-year longitudinal study was the first to test the potential bidirectional relationships among PIL, self-reported GD symptoms, and psychological flourishing. METHODS: In this study, a total of 283 university students (39.6% females; age = 18-27 years, M = 20.47, SD = 1.15) completed an anonymous questionnaire at both baseline and a year later in a follow-up study. RESULTS: The results of our cross-lagged analysis did not show the hypothesized reciprocity between GD symptoms and psychological flourishing (P > 0.05). However, PIL significantly predicted fewer GD symptoms (ß = -0.23, P < 0.001) and higher levels of psychological flourishing (ß = 0.30, P < 0.001) in the follow-up study. Moreover, psychological flourishing predicted PIL a year later. CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate the potential efficacy of purpose/meaning oriented interventions in gambling prevention and in well-being promotion programs.