Leip Allison, Heckman Carolyn J, Stapleton Jerod L
Department of Family Sciences, College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
Rutgers Cancer Institute, Department of Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
BMC Psychol. 2025 Feb 6;13(1):104. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-02430-8.
Rates of ultraviolet radiation (UVR)-emitting tanning bed use have declined in the United States over the past decade. However, many young adults continue to indoor tan at rates that put them at risk for melanoma. There is evidence that UVR may impact addiction pathways and some people who use tanning beds experience urges to tan and diminished control over tanning which may be evidence of a behavioral addiction. However, studies have not adequately explored whether excessive tanning continues despite concerns and problems that would be expected with behavioral addiction. This represents an important gap since behavioral persistence in the face of such negative experiences is a hallmark of behavioral addiction. Further, there is a dearth of research exploring change perceptions of excessive tanners.
We administered a cross-sectional online survey to women between 18 and 34 years old who reported frequent indoor tanning (at least 10 times) in the past 12 months. Participants completed the 7-item Behavioral Addiction Indoor Tanning Screener (BAITS). T- and chi-square tests were used to compare the association of theoretically informed correlates from conceptual models of behavioral addiction (e.g., concerns and problems) and tanning change/quit perceptions with results from the BAITS (i.e., a positive or negative screen for tanning addiction symptoms).
Participants were 280 non-Hispanic White women (mean age = 27.5 years (SD = 4.3)) from across the United States (mean number of past 12-month indoor tanning sessions = 40.1 (SD = 42.5)). Frequent indoor tanners with a positive BAITS score had higher mean scores for negative affect, greater worry about getting skin cancer, and more tanning-related problems compared to those with a negative score. A positive BAITS score was also associated with more perceived barriers to quitting tanning, increased interest in getting help to reduce tanning, and a higher number of quit attempts.
Our findings provide unique evidence for tanning as a behavioral addiction by demonstrating an association between tanning behavioral addiction symptoms with skin cancer concerns, tanning-related problems, and unsuccessful attempts to change. These findings have implications for the design of interventions and support the need for additional research to support the conceptualization of indoor tanning as a behavioral addiction.
在过去十年中，美国使用发射紫外线辐射（UVR）的晒黑床的比例有所下降。然而，许多年轻人仍以会使他们面临患黑色素瘤风险的频率进行室内晒黑。有证据表明紫外线辐射可能会影响成瘾途径，一些使用晒黑床的人会产生晒黑的冲动，并且对晒黑的控制能力减弱，这可能是行为成瘾的迹象。然而，研究尚未充分探讨尽管存在行为成瘾可能带来的担忧和问题，过度晒黑行为是否仍会持续。这是一个重要的空白，因为面对此类负面经历仍持续行为是行为成瘾的一个标志。此外，缺乏对过度晒黑者观念变化的研究。
我们对18至34岁之间、在过去12个月中报告有频繁室内晒黑（至少10次）的女性进行了一项横断面在线调查。参与者完成了7项行为成瘾室内晒黑筛查量表（BAITS）。使用t检验和卡方检验来比较行为成瘾概念模型中理论上已知的相关因素（如担忧和问题）以及晒黑变化/戒烟观念与BAITS结果（即晒黑成瘾症状的阳性或阴性筛查）之间的关联。
参与者为来自美国各地的280名非西班牙裔白人女性（平均年龄 = 27.5岁（标准差 = 4.3））（过去12个月室内晒黑的平均次数 = 40.1次（标准差 = 42.
