1Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Industries, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
2Consciousness and Psychopathology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
J Behav Addict. 2023 Feb 28;12(1):288-294. doi: 10.1556/2006.2023.00001. Print 2023 Mar 30.
Maladaptive Daydreaming (MD) is a suggested syndrome where individuals become addicted to fantasizing vividly for hours on end at the expense of engaging in real-world relationships and functioning. MD can be seen as a behavioral addiction. However, a paucity of longitudinal research means that there is no empirical evidence confirming the stability of this alleged addiction. Moreover, the direction of its association with psychopathology is unclear.
We examine, for the first time, long-term stability and longitudinal associations between MD, psychological distress (stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms) and COVID-19 related exposure.
Participants (N = 814) completed an online survey twice, with a lag of 13 months. A two-wave structural equation model demonstrated high MD stability and positive cross-lagged pathways from MD to psychological distress. COVID-19 related exposure was not a longitudinal predictor.
MD is a stable condition and a risk factor for an increase in psychological distress.
白日梦障碍(MD)是一种建议的综合征,个体过度沉迷于生动的幻想,以至于牺牲了与现实世界的关系和功能。MD 可以被视为一种行为成瘾。然而,由于缺乏纵向研究,因此没有经验证据证实这种所谓成瘾的稳定性。此外,其与精神病理学的关联方向尚不清楚。
我们首次研究了 MD、心理困扰(压力、焦虑和抑郁症状)与 COVID-19 相关暴露之间的长期稳定性和纵向关联。
参与者(N = 814)完成了两次在线调查,时间间隔为 13 个月。一个两波结构方程模型显示 MD 具有高度稳定性,并且从 MD 到心理困扰存在积极的交叉滞后路径。COVID-19 相关暴露不是纵向预测因素。
MD 是一种稳定的状态,也是心理困扰加剧的风险因素。