SMARTPHONE ADDICTION AND PATHOLOGICAL GAMBLING DIFFERENTIALLY ALTER COGNITION AND BEHAVIOUR

Behavioural or non-substance addiction is often associated with deficits in executive function similar to those observed in substance addiction. Examples of such behavioural addictions include pathological gambling and internet addiction which have been studied to varying degrees. In Ghana, there is a paucity of data on behavioural addictions among at-risk populations such as students. Additionally, the accompanying executive function deficits have not been explored. In this study, we assess executive function impairment among pathological gamblers and an undergraduate student population screened for both internet and smartphone addiction. We report here that among students, there was a positive correlation between smartphone and internet addiction. Furthermore, students with mild smartphone addiction exhibited a high sense of premeditation which was absent among pathological gamblers even when they reported high smartphone addiction behaviour. Finally, in comparison to students with mild smartphone addiction, pathological gamblers exhibited an elevated positive and negative urgency alongside poor response inhibition and risk-taking behaviour. Altogether, our study identifies unique cognitive markers between pathological gambling and smartphone addiction which could be used to assess at-risk populations. This work also has implications for the future of education as the use of digital tools becomes more common place. Future work will seek to expand on the potential gateway relationship between smartphone addiction and pathological gambling while investigating safe ways to use digital tools in education.