• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2018

Smokers keep smoking despite knowing that tobacco claims many lives, including their own and others'. What makes it hard for them to quit smoking nonetheless? Tobacco companies insist that smokers choose to smoke, according to their right to self-determination. Moreover, they insist that with motivation and willpower to quit smoking, smokers can easily stop smoking. Against this backdrop, this paper aims to discuss the addictive disease called tobacco use disorder, with an assessment of the addictiveness of tobacco and the reasons why smoking cessation is challenging, based on neuroscientific research. Nicotine that enters the body via smoking is rapidly transmitted to the central nervous system and causes various effects, including an arousal response. The changes in the nicotine receptors in the brain due to continuous smoking lead to addiction symptoms such as tolerance, craving, and withdrawal. Compared with other addictive substances, including alcohol and opioids, tobacco is more likely to cause dependence in smokers, and smokers are less likely to recover from their dependence. Moreover, the thinning of the cerebral cortex and the decrease in cognitive functions that occur with aging accelerate with smoking. Such changes occur in the structure and functions of the brain in proportion to the amount and period of smoking. In particular, abnormalities in the neural circuits that control cognition and decision-making cause loss of the ability to exert self-control and autonomy. This initiates nicotine dependence and the continuation of addictive behaviors. Therefore, smoking is considered to be a behavior that is repeated due to dependence on an addictive substance, nicotine, instead of one's choice by free will.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.99-108
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• 2022

Purpose: The wide distribution of smartphones has changed life and user behavior. This phenomenon has both advantages and disadvantages for users. As smartphones become a part of our daily lives, smartphone addiction has recently become a social issue in many countries. This study explores factors that affect smartphone addiction and the consequences of addictive behaviors. Research design, data and methodology: Our model hypothesizes that four key factors determine addictive behavior: flow, enjoyment, preference for online social life, and escape reality. Commitment and compulsive use are mediating variables that connect key drivers and addictive results. Based on the SEM (structural equation model) analysis of 497 survey responses, these four driving factors each have a significant effect on the compulsive use of smartphones directly or indirectly; the compulsive use of smartphones directly influences the three results Results: We conducted a reliability and validity analysis, and the results were successful. In the hypothesis test, every path is accepted as expected at the significance level of 0.05. Conclusions: Among the four driving factors, escape reality is the vital factor influencing smartphone addiction and its consequences. And anxiety is the number one consequence influenced by the compulsive use of smartphones.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.147-155
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• 2022

Background: Methamphetamine (METH) is the most widely used psychostimulant and has been known to exhibit reinforcing effects even after long abstinence. We showed the inhibitory effect of Korean Red Ginseng extract (RGE) on METH-induced addictive behaviors in animal models mimicking the human drug-use pattern. Methods: We first investigated the effect of RGE on the acquisition of METH-induced dependence using self-administration and conditioned place preference (CPP) tests. Additionally, further experiments such as METH-induced motivational behavior and seeking behavior were conducted. To study the underlying mechanism, dopamine receptor, dopamine transporter, and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor were assessed through Western blot analysis. Results: Treatment with RGE significantly reduced METH-induced self-administration on a fixed-ratio 1 schedule of reinforcement. It could be also decreased a progressive ratio schedule, and inhibited METH-primed reinstatement. In CPP, RGE significantly prevented the development of METH-induced CPP. Moreover, RGE not only shortened the withdrawal period clearly, but also prevented the reinstatement of CPP. RGE treatment also reversed METH-induced overexpression of dopamine transporter, dopamine receptor D1, and NMDA receptor in the nucleus accumbens. Conclusion: Our findings reflect that RGE has therapeutic potential to suppress METH-induced addictive behaviors by regulating dopaminergic and NMDAergic system.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.31-46
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in internet use motivations and problem behaviors among vocational high school students according to internet addiction and family system type. Five hundred vocational high school students from Daegu took part in the survey. The questionnaire survey consisted of an internet addiction self-assessment scale, a family system type scale, an internet use motivation scale, and a problem behavior scale. The data was analysed using MANOVA and Cronbach a, and the $Scheff\acute{e}$ test was used for post-hoc analysis. The major findings of this study were as follows: First, the study found significant differences in adolescent internet use motivation according to internet addiction. Adolescents in the high dangerous user group showed higher communicative, experiential, and addictive motivations than adolescents in potentially dangerous and normal user groups. Also, there were no significant differences in informative motivation according to internet addiction. Regardless of internet addiction, adolescents tend to use the internet to search for information and to solve problems. Second, there were significant differences in adolescents' problem behaviors according to internet addiction. More specifically, adolescents who were in the high dangerous user group displayed more problem behaviors toward their body, family, school, and society than adolescents in the potentially dangerous and the normal user groups. Third, an adolescent's family system type significantly influenced his/her internet use motivation. Adolescents from an extreme family showed higher communicative and addictive motivations than adolescents from middle and balanced families. Fourth, there were significant differences in the problem behaviors of adolescents according to family system types. Adolescents from an extreme family showed more problem behaviors toward their body, family, school, and society than adolescents from middle and balanced families.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.9-20
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• 2011

Repeated administration of addictive drugs causes cellular and molecular changes believed to be the mechanism of pro-addictive behaviors. Neuroadaptations also take place with repeated administration of amphetamine, methylphenidate and atomoxetine, drugs for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD), and it is speculated that these changes may serve as markers to demonstrate the dependence liability of these therapies. In this review, we enumerate the neuroadaptive changes in molecules associated with neuronal signaling and plasticity, as well as neuronal morphology wrought by repeated administration of ADHD medications. We provide the current perspective on the dependence liability of these therapies, and also suggest of some factors that need to be considered in future investigations, so that what is drawn from animal studies would be better consolidated with those known clinically.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.296-306
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was to identify variables influencing health risk behaviors in adolescents on the basis of the PRECEDE model. Methods: Data were collected from 434 middle school students in Chungbuk Province for two weeks in July 2008. The instrument for this study was a self-reported questionnaire. The SPSS/WIN 12.0 program was used for data analysis, which included t-test, one way ANOVA, Scheffe's test, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression analysis. Results: Adolescents' level of health risk behaviors ($47.32{\pm}7.98$) was below medium. Physical inactivity ($6.73{\pm}2.23$) and Internet addictive behavior ($6.36{\pm}2.11$) were major health risk behaviors. The perceived level of school health education ($30.74{\pm}9.84$) was low. Family function and general self efficacy explained 14.3% of variance in health risk behaviors. Family function was a major predictor of health risk behaviors ($R^2$=.108, p=.000). However, the perceived level of school health education was not a significant predictor of health risk behaviors. Conclusion: For the prevention of health risk behaviors in adolescents, it is necessary that the family and the school collaborate with each other in educational strategies in order to strengthen influential factors such as family function and general self-efficacy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.17
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• pp.7967-7973
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• 2015

Background: The abrupt rise of colorectal cancer in developing countries is raising concern in healthcare settings. Studies on assessing relationships with modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors in the Pakistani population have been limited. The present investigation was designed to examine associations of dietary practices, addictive behavior and bowel habits in developing colorectal cancer (CRC) among patients in a low-resource setup. Materials and Methods: An age-gender matched case control study was conducted from October 2011 to July 2015 in Karachi, Pakistan. Cases were from the surgical oncology department of a public sector tertiary care hospital, while their two pair-matched controls were recruited from the general population. A structured questionnaire was used which included questions related to demographic characteristics, family history, dietary patterns, addictive behavior and bowel habits. Results: A family history of cancer was associated with a 2.2 fold higher chance of developing CRC. Weight loss reduced the likelihood 7.6 times. Refraining from a high fat diet and consuming more vegetables showed protective effects for CRC. The risk of CRC was more than twice among smokers and those who consumed Asian specific addictive products as compared to those who avoid using these addictions (ORsmoking: 2.12, 95% CI: 1.08 - 4.17, ORpan: 2.92, 95% CI: 1.6 - 5.33, ORgutka: 2.13, 95% CI: 1.14 - 3.97). Use of NSAID attenuated risk of CRC up to 86% (OR: 0.14, 95% CI: 0.07 - 0.31). Conclusions: Most of the findings showed concordance with the literature elucidating protective effects of consuming vegetables and low fat diet while documenting adverse associations with family history, weight loss, constipation and hematochezia. Moreover, this study highlighted Asian specific indigenous addictive products as important factors. Further studies are needed to validate the findings produced by this research.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.147-158
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• 2014

Objectives: This study aims to examine the association of depression, suicidal behaviors with smartphone use behaviors among Korean adolescents. Methods: We analyzed data from 'Youth Health and Life Skills Survey' in 2013. The survey was based on self-reported questionnaires distributed to 915 grade 7th and 8th students at four middle schools in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, Korea in 2013 to evaluate the effects of 'Youth Health and Life Skills' program. Depression and suicidal behaviors were measured in terms of the experience rate, and smartphone use behaviors were measured with average hours of smartphone use a day and overindulged behaviors in smartphone use by using 5-point Likert scales. We examined the association of depression and suicidal behaviors with smartphone use behaviors by using t-test and regression analyses. Results: 21.5% of respondents have ever felt depressed or hopeless to lose interest in school life almost everyday for 2 weeks or longer in the past year. The experience rate of suicidal ideation, suicide plan, and suicidal attempt were 21.1%, 6.1%, and 5.7%, respectively. The mean of average hours of smartphone use a day was 3.9 hours, and the mean score of overindulged behaviors in smartphone use was 2.99. The students who have experienced depression and suicidal behaviors were more likely to have more smartphone using time and higher scores of overindulged behaviors in smartphne use than those who have not. Conclusion: We concluded that for preventing addictive or problematic smartphone use behaviors among adolescents we should consider and develop more positive strategies for the moderate use of smartphone than regulatory measures, which include the implementation of skill-based health education program including life skills at schools and the development of smartphone applications useful for resolving mental stress and promoting mental health.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.626-642
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• 2018

Recently, a number of studies have drawn attention to purchasing online game items. Most of the studies are based on the assumption that consumers behave rationally. Accordingly, TRA- or value-based approaches have been mainly employed to understand the online purchases of game items. However, the purchasing behavior of consumers involves not only making rational decisions, but also making irrational decisions. Hence, their purchase behavior is affected by propensities for conspicuous consumption, impulsive consumption, and habitual consumption. Playing games can be highly addictive, and players often display such addictive behaviors. Our study explored both the rational and irrational factors in purchase behavior to understand how they are associated with purchasing game items. A total of 366 pieces of data were collected from Korean online game users through a survey. Regression analyses of the collected data showed that the behavior of buying game items was influenced not only by the intention to purchase which is a rational factor in consumption, but also by such irrational factors as habit, impulse, and ostentation which should be further emphasized in future studies.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.67-81
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• 2010

Consumer researchers found that compulsive buying was a part of a category of compulsive consumption that was interrelated to addictive and repetitive behaviors. The present study empirically examined the co-morbidity of compulsive buying and Internet addiction among e-commerce users in terms of consumption disorders. Although the prevalence of Internet use and on-line sales remarkably increase in recent years, almost no study examines on-line compulsive buying behavior. This study explored the link between compulsive buying and Internet addiction among e-commerce users, and investigated the characteristics of on-line shoppers with respect to two forms of compulsive consumption, which were divided into compulsive buying and Internet addiction. Additionally, factors that related to compulsive buying behaviors among e-commerce users were also examined. The present research was conducted using a convenience sample of 394 young adults between the ages of 20-30, and the Faber and O'Guinn's DSCB scale and the Widyanto's Internet addiction scale (IA) were used. Confirmatory factor analyses were utilized to evaluate the structure of the DSCB and IA, and a Probit model was used to examine determinants for the compulsive buying behaviors of e-commerce users. E-commerce users were classified into four groups; high compulsion and high addiction, low compulsion and low addiction, high compulsion and low addiction, and low compulsion and high addiction. Consumers with high compulsion and high addiction spent higher amounts of money on their on-line purchases and were frequently connected with the Internet compared to the three other consumer groups. Consumers with compulsive buying behaviors were also found to have significantly greater Internet addiction tendencies than typical buyers. Compulsive buyers were more likely to engage in Internet addiction and the number of purchasing via on-line shopping mall, and had higher materialism. Policy implications and suggestions for consumer education programs were discussed.