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Internet addiction (IA) is associated with adverse consequences, especially for younger people. Evidence indicates that IA is associated with depression, but no studies have yet investigated potential common vulnerability between them.IA (measured by the Young's 20-item Internet Addiction Test Scale) and depressive symptoms (measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Scale) among 12 043 undergraduates were surveyed at baseline and at a respective 12 month follow-up for each participant. Application of a cross-lagged panel model approach (CLPM) revealed an association between IA and depression after adjusting for demographic variables.Rates of baseline IA and depression were 5.47% (95% CI: 5.07%, 5.88%) and 3.85% (95% CI: 3.51%, 4.20%), respectively; increasing to 9.47% (95% CI: 8.94%, 9.99%) and 5.58% (95% CI: 5.17%,5.99%), respectively, at follow-up. Rates of new-incidences of IA and depression over 12 months were 7.43% (95% CI: 6.95%, 7.91%) and 4.47% (95% CI: 4.09%, 4.84%), respectively. Models in the present analysis revealed that baseline depression had a significant net-predictive effect on follow-up IA, and baseline IA had a significant net-predictive effect on follow-up depression.The follow-up survey response rate was moderate (54.69%) in this analysis of university students. Moreover, the IAT-20 scale did not allow differentiate between specific forms of Internet activity.Common vulnerability and bidirectional cross-causal effects may both contribute to the association between IA and depression, with common vulnerability likely playing a more significant role than cross-causal effects.

Objective The current study aims to explore precipitating and social risk factors for internet addiction (IA) in university undergraduate students, and to provide evidence for interventions and the early prevention of IA in different genders.Methods Four thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight college sophomores completed an online survey on their internet use-related behaviours and social risk factors.Results We found that more male (8.3%) than female students (5.4%) had moderate and severe IA. The main online activity in the moderate and severe IA groups was online gaming in males and online streaming in females. Roommates engaging in similar internetbased entertainment was a risk factor of IA only for males, while not being in a romantic relationship was a risk factor of IA for females only. Infatuation with the internet before college and adjustment problems for college life were shared risk factors for both genders in the mild and moderate IA groups.Conclusion IA was a common phenomenon in college students with shared and unique precipitating and social risk factors in males and females. The gender-sensitive risk factors for IA warranted earlier and individualized intervention and prevention strategies for IA in this population.

Background Alcohol dependence is a mental disorder with a high relapse rate. However, specific neuroimaging biomarkers have not been determined for alcohol dependence and its relapse. We conducted data-driven research to investigate resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) during early abstinence from alcohol dependence and its potential ability to predict relapse. Methods Participants included 68 alcohol-dependent patients and 68 healthy controls (HCs). The regional homogeneity (ReHo) and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) were compared between the alcohol dependence group and the HCs and between the relapse group and the nonrelapse group. The brain regions that presented significantly different ReHo and/or fALFF between the alcohol-dependent patients and HCs and/or between the relapsed and nonrelapsed patients were selected as the seeds to calculate the functional connectivities (FCs). Results During a 6-month follow-up period, 52.24% of alcohol-dependent patients relapsed. A regression model for differentiating alcohol-dependent patients and HCs showed that reductions in ReHo in the left postcentral region, fALFF in the right fusiform region, and FC in the right fusiform region to the right middle cingulum were independently associated with alcohol dependence, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.841. The baseline FC of the left precentral to the left cerebellum of the relapse group was significantly lower than that of the nonrelapse group. The AUC of this FC to predict relapse was 0.774. Conclusions Our findings contribute to advancing research on the neurobiological etiology and predictive biomarkers for relapse associated with alcohol dependence.

BACKGROUND Evidence indicates that Internet addiction (IA) is associated with depression, but longitudinal studies have rarely been reported, and no studies have yet investigated potential common vulnerability or a possible specific causal relationship between these disorders. OBJECTIVE To overcome these gaps, the present 12-month longitudinal study based on a large-sample employed a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) approach to investigate the potential common vulnerability and specific cross-causal relationships between IA and CSD (or depression). METHODS IA and clinically-significant depression (CSD) among 12 043 undergraduates were surveyed at baseline (as freshmen) and in follow-up after 12 months (as sophomores). Application of CLPM revealed two well-fitted design between IA and CSD, and between severities of IA and depression, adjusting for demographics. RESULTS Rates of baseline IA and CSD were 5.47% and 3.85%, respectively; increasing to 9.47% and 5.58%, respectively at follow-up. Among those with baseline IA and CSD, 44.61% and 34.48% remained stable at the time of the follow-up survey, respectively. Rates of new-incidences of IA and CSD over 12 months were 7.43% and 4.47%, respectively. Application of a cross-lagged panel model approach (CLPM, a discrete time structural equation model used primarily to assess causal relationships in real-world settings) revealed two well-fitted design between IA and CSD, and between severities of IA and depression, adjusting for demographics. Models revealed that baseline CSD (or depression severity) had a significant net-predictive effect on follow-up IA (or IA severity), and baseline IA (or IA severity) had a significant net-predictive effect on follow-up CSD (or depression severity). CONCLUSIONS These correlational patterns using a CLPM indicate that both common vulnerability and bidirectional specific cross-causal effects between them may contribute to the association between IA and depression. As the path coefficients of the net-cross-predictive effects were significantly smaller than those of baseline to follow-up cross-section associations, vulnerability may play a more significant role than bidirectional-causal effects. CLINICALTRIAL Ethics Committee of West China Hospital, Sichuan University (NO. 2016-171)

Objective: The current study aims to explore precipitating and risk factors for internet addiction (IA) in university undergraduate students, and to provide evidence for interventions and the early prevention of IA in this population.Method: Four thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight college sophomores completed an online survey on their internet use-related behaviours and social risk factors.Result: Compared to female students (5.4%), more male students (8.3%) were in the moderate and severe IA groups. Male and female students tend to engage in different types of online entertainment. There are some shared and some different precipitating factors for internet use and risk factors for IA between the different gender groups.Conclusion: By understanding the differences and similarities in risk factors for IA in both gender groups of the university undergraduate students, interventions can be more precisely designed to target specific behaviours in this populations.

To evaluate the effect of group cognitive behavioral therapy (GCBT) on social anxiety disorders (SAD).A total of 50 patients with SAD were recruited in this study. A survey containing the Liebowitz social anxiety scale (LSAS),the automatic thoughts questionnaire (ATQ),the fear of negative evaluation questionnaire (FNE),the social support rating scale (SSRS),the tridimensional personality questionnaire (TPQ),and the egna minnen barndoms uppfostran (EMBU) was administered before and (one week) after the GCBT,including in the 50 healthy controls. About 21 patients completed the eight-week GCBT (once a week,2 h a session). Follow-up surveys were conducted on 40 patients (22 patients treated with GCBT and 18 untreated) over a 1-5 year period.Significant differences were found between the SAD patients and healthy controls in thinking mode,personality characteristics,social support,parental rearing styles,and social anxiety symptoms. Significant decrease in social anxiety symptom (GCBT treatment can relieve SAD symptoms by changing the negative cognitive of SAD patients. Social support and rejection of father affects the prognosis of SAD.

To examine the altered spontaneous brain activity in patients with social anxiety disorders (SAD) before and after cognitive behavior therapy (CBT),and determine the neuromechanism of formation,treatment and recovery of SAD.Fifteen SAD patients were treated with an eight-week group CBT.The patients underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at resting state before and after the treatments.Eighteen healthy controls (HC) were recruited and underwent a baseline fMRI scan.The regional homogeneity (ReHo) of the patients was compared with the healthy controls.Before the baseline scanning,all participants were assessed with the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale(LSAS),the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD).All participants were right-handed.10 males and 4 females were in the patient group,with mean age of (27.07±8.11) years.13 males and 5 females were in the HC group,with mean age of (26.28±2.42) years.There was no difference for gender and age while significant differences were found in LSAS,HAMA,HAMD between patients and controls (The activity of cerebellum might be one of the potential biomakers to modulate the treatment effect of CBT in SAD,which provides a basis for further investigation into the pathophysiology of SAD.

To explore the pathogenesis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by studying default mode network during the resting state in patients with PTSD after homologous traumatic experience.Seventeen PTSD patients and 20 matched normal controls received the examnation of resting-state fMRI scanning. Left and right posterior cingulate cortex was regarded as seed region respectively, and the functional connectivity about whole brain was assessed by using resting-state functional connectivity analysis.Compared with control group, the patients with PTSD showed that the brain area with decreased functional connectivity included left superior frontal gyrus and right fusiform gyrus, while the brain area with increased functional connectivity included right precuneus, right superior temporal gyrus and right middle temporal gyrus.The brain default mode network of PTSD patients is abnormal in resting state. These abnormalities might be the neuropathological mechanisms of PTSD.