Impact of digital addiction on mental health and comorbidities in older adults

Digital addiction, encompassing compulsive digital device use such as problematic internet usage (PUI) and smartphone addiction, is a rapidly expanding field of study.

While much of the research has traditionally focused on children and adolescents, there is a notable gap in understanding its impact on older individuals, particularly those over 40 and especially over 55 years of age. This demographic may present unique risk factors for digital addiction, compounded by higher rates of comorbidities like cardiovascular disorders and pain syndromes. Unlike younger populations, where internet addiction is predominantly associated with males, the patterns in older adults are less clear, with differing internet use goals potentially influencing PUI. Furthermore, while the link between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and PUI is well-documented in adolescents, there is a scarcity of data regarding adults, particularly concerning subclinical ADHD.

The effects of digital addiction on mental health, burnout, and quality of life in those over 40 remain underexplored, as do its potential contributions to headaches, chronic pain, and cardiovascular disorders. Additionally, while altered brain networks have been observed in adolescents with PUI, data on older individuals, particularly concerning smartphone addiction and nomophobia, are lacking. This underscores the need for comprehensive research to elucidate the impact of digital addiction on the aging population, which may exacerbate age-related issues such as memory loss, confusion, anxiety, and depression.

This Research Topic aims to explore the complexity of digital addictions among individuals aged over 40, with a particular focus on those over 55.
The primary objectives include discerning the roles of sex and age as potential risk factors and understanding the prevalence, subtypes, and consequences of digital addiction. Differences between adolescents and older adults is also welcome. It will also investigate the potential background factors and consequences of digital addiction, including mental health issues, burnout, subclinical ADHD, pain syndromes, and other somatic diseases.

To gather further insights into the impact of digital addiction on older individuals, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following:

• Prevalence and risk factors of problematic internet usage among older individuals
• Sex and age as potential risk factors: differences between males and females, and between adolescents and adults
• Goals of internet use and their relation to digital addictions
• The role of cybersex, online shopping, social media use, gaming, time wasters, information seeking, timeless surfing, cyberchondria etc.
• Smartphone addiction and nomophobia: mood and behavioral outcomes: anxiety, memory loss, confusion, and depression.
• Brain network changes in digital addictions and their link to depression
• Detection of addictions and comparisons of different questionnaires
• The association of mental issues and digital addictions
• Cardiovascular changes in digital addictions
• The association of digital addiction with pain syndromes and cardiometabolic disorders
• The causality of addiction with mental and somatic issues
• Co-incidence of new and traditional addictions
• Therapy and management of digital addiction

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: digital addiction, compulsive disorders, problematic usage of internet, nomophobia, cyberchondria, aging population, sexual differences, role of age, role of sex

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.