The role of psychological distress in understanding the relationship between habitual decision-making and addictive behaviors

Abstract

Existing models are currently inadequate in explaining the relationship between habitual decision-making and different expressions of addictive behaviors. The current study investigates the role of psychological distress as a key factor in disrupting decision-making processes in the context of substance and behavioral addictions. A large community sample (N = 668) completed a gamified two-stage task to investigate the link between model-free (habitual) task behavior and a wide range of addictive behaviors. Addictive behaviors included substance use (alcohol, nicotine, and illicit drug use) and behavioral addictions (problematic use of the internet, addictive eating, shopping, and gambling). ..