Is Craving a Central Criterion for Diagnosing a Behavioral Addiction?

NCT07854912 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: 26.01091.0004322026-A00815-46
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 150
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study is a cross-sectional observational study designed to evaluate the diagnostic criteria for behavioral addictions (gambling, online video game disorder, screen addiction, food addiction, and pathological use of sex and/or pornography). The main objective of this project is to explore the value of the "craving" criterion in the diagnosis of behavioral addictions. Individuals reporting regular engagement in these different behaviors will be recruited through broad communication campaigns, with the aim of including participants across different levels of severity and thereby better assessing the importance of craving as a diagnostic criterion. Value of the craving criteria will be evaluated based on:

1. 1.its parameters derived from a two-parameter Item Response Theory (IRT) model, namely discrimination (a; the item's ability to distinguish between severity levels) and difficulty (b; the severity level at which the item has a high probability of being endorsed), considered relevant when the values exceed significant thresholds (discrimination \> 1 and difficulty within a specific range on the severity continuum);
2. 2.its centrality within the network of criteria, as measured by four indices (strength, proximity, interdependence, and expected influence) from network analysis (NA).

Conditions

Addictive Behaviors; Internet Addiction Disorder; Gambling; Technology Addiction; Food Addiction; Compulsive Sexual Behavior; Screen Use

Keywords

Behavioral addictions; Item Response Theory; Symptoms Network Analysis; Diagnostic criteria; Screen Use; Internet Addiction; Pathological gambling; Gaming disorder; Food Addiction; Compulsive Sexual Behaviors

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Discrimination parameter (a) of items, estimated with a 2PL IRT model

  For each behavioral addiction studied (online gambling, video gaming, screen use, eating, sex/pornography use), the discrimination parameter (a) of all items will be estimated using a two-parameter (2PL) item response theory model.

  Baseline

• Difficulty parameter (b) of items, estimated with a 2PL IRT model

  For each behavioral addiction studied (online gambling, video gaming, screen use, eating, sex/pornography use), the difficulty parameter (b) of all items will be estimated using a two-parameter (2PL) item response theory model.

  Baseline

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Discrimination parameter (a) of the craving criterion across behaviors

  Baseline

• Difficulty parameter (b) of the craving criterion across behaviors

  Baseline

• Network centrality of the craving criterion across behaviors

  Baseline

Study Arms (2)

Telephone Interview

If a participant reports regular use AND has experienced a problem with at least one of the behaviors of interest, he/she will be offered the opportunity to participate in a telephone interview. After obtaining the participant's consent to participate in the research, the participant will be asked to provide their phone number so they can be contacted for a telephone assessment interview.

Other: Telephone interview

Online Questionnaire

If a participant reports regular engagement in at least one of the behaviors of interest without reporting any perceived problems, he/she will be offered the opportunity to participate in an online questionnaire. After obtaining the participant's consent to participate in the research, the participant will be invited to complete an online questionnaire.

Other: Questionnaires

Interventions

Questionnaires OTHER

* the 9 DSM-5 criteria for gambling and video gaming, plus an item assessing craving (for a total of 10 criteria for these two behaviors), * the 11 DSM-5 criteria for substance use disorder adapted to addictive behaviors (screen use, eating, and sex). The total time required to complete the online questionnaires is estimated to be between 5 and 15 minutes, depending on the number of behaviors reported by the participant.

Online Questionnaire

Telephone interview OTHER

* the 9 DSM-5 criteria for gambling and video gaming, plus an item assessing craving (for a total of 10 criteria for these two behaviors), * 11 DSM-5 criteria for substance use disorder adapted to addictive behaviors (screen use, eating, and sex). The telephone interview will include additional questions from the Addiction Severity Index, covering all of its assessment domains except for the sections on legal issues and family history. This information will be supplemented by an assessment of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview's substance use disorder (SUD) assessment for substances used regularly. All of this data aims to establish a severity profile for each substance or addictive behavior reported as problematic by the participant, taking into account the associated medical, occupational, social, psychological, and consumption dimensions. The total duration of the telephone questionnaire administration is estimated to be between 30 and 60 minutes, depending on t

Telephone Interview

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Participants will be recruited in two different ways: either through a public communication campaign using social media and posters promoting the study, or through the KANOPEE app.

You may qualify if:

• Men/Women
• Be over 18 years of age
• No objection to participating in the study after receiving prior information
• Regularly engage in at least one of the behaviors of interest (gambling, video games, eating, screen time, sex/pornography)

You may not qualify if:

• Difficulty understanding, reading, or writing in French
• Being under legal guardianship or conservatorship, or under judicial protection
• Severe somatic or psychiatric condition incompatible with understanding the assessment tools
• Being pregnant

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Bordeaux: lead

Study Sites (1)

Université de Bordeaux Pôle Addictologie - CH Charles Perrens

Bordeaux, France

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Behavior, Addictive; Internet Addiction Disorder; Gambling; Technology Addiction; Food Addiction; Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder

Interventions

Surveys and Questionnaires; Interviews as Topic

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Compulsive Behavior; Impulsive Behavior; Behavior; Risk-Taking; Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders; Mental Disorders; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Sexual and Gender Disorders; Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Data Collection; Epidemiologic Methods; Investigative Techniques; Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms; Quality of Health Care; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Public Health; Environment and Public Health

Study Officials

• Marc AURIACOMBE, Ph-D

  Université de Bordeaux Pôle Addictologie - CH Charles Perrens

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Fuschia SERRE, Ph-D

CONTACT

+33 05 56 56 17 38; fuschia.serre@u-bordeaux.fr

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: OTHER
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 21, 2026
• First Posted: October 2, 2026
• Study Start: September 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2029
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2029
• Last Updated: October 2, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share

Locations

FR (1)