RP1: Comprehensive model-testing across different types of specific Internet-use disorders and other addictive behaviors

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The I-PACE (Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution) model provides a theoretical framework for specific Internet use disorders (IUDs) by addressing core mechanisms and possible interaction effects, and integrates several theories, concepts, and empirical findings from addiction research. The I-PACE model is an important theoretical background and constitutes the overall framework of the Research Unit. The model focuses on the interactions between predisposing variables, and affective and cognitive responses resulting in the decision to use a certain application. The empirical findings on particular variables have been integrated in the I-PACE model, and very recent studies seem to confirm specific hypotheses that are expressed in the theoretical framework. The majority of previous studies, however, were limited to the investigation of a very specific aspect related to a particular type of IUD, without considering systematic interactions (moderating and mediating effects) among a comprehensive set of variables and among different types of IUD. This project aims to test the overall model assumptions of the Research Unit, which are based on the I-PACE model. Using data from a core battery of tests and questionnaires assessed in RP2-RP8, including individuals with specific types of IUD, the overall hypotheses of the Research Unit on the role of predictors, moderators, and mediators in explaining symptom severity of specific IUDs will be tested. Using mean structure analyses, commonalities and differences across specific types of IUD will be investigated. The potential shift from early to later stages (i.e. risky to pathological use) and the respective underlying mechanisms (e.g., stronger cue reactivity and additional involvement of reduced stimuli-specific inhibitory control in later stages) will be addressed in a systematic cross-sectional study including individuals with risky compared to pathological use of the applications relating to four proposed types of IUD. Results on specific situational triggers and individual experiences in everyday life will be validated using ambulatory assessment and compared across diverse types of IUD. Finally, longitudinal studies are very rare in this research field and we therefore aim to look at an at least six-month follow-up after the laboratory investigation that will investigate the relationships between specific affective and cognitive components and the development of symptoms in the subsequent months. RP1 may be considered as a central scientific project within the Research Unit, as it will integrate all data from the core battery from RP2-RP8 to test the overall research hypotheses. The link between RP1 and all other RPs is bidirectional: RP2-RP8 will provide the raw data for the overall analyses in RP1 and receive information on all assessed variables for use in the analyses of their specific project.