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Etiology of Internet Use Disorders

Abstract

Since the emergence of the concept of IUD in scientific literature, many researchers have made an attempt to develop etiology models for the disorder. Many of these are conceptually similar to etiology models of other mental disorders, especially of substance-related addictive disorders. The chapter describes behavioral psychology models that underline the importance of classical and reward-based learning mechanisms, as well as neural correlates of behavioral addictions, i.e. specific neurophysiological and structural changes in the brain (e.g. dopamine secretion). Furthermore, integrated models that relate to maladaptive coping with unpleasant emotions are outlined and the etiology model underlying the PROTECT intervention is described. This model assumes that IUD is a consequence of a maladaptive regulation of negative emotions such as boredom, performance anxiety and social anxiety.

Keywords

  • Etiology
  • Models
  • Neurobiology
  • Learning theory
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Coping
  • Emotion regulation

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Lindenberg, K., Kindt, S., Szász-Janocha, C. (2020). Etiology of Internet Use Disorders. In: Internet Addiction in Adolescents. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43784-8_3

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