Tagged With "digital wellness"
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Webinar Today - Registration is free! ConnexOntario (Discover Mental Health, Addiction and Problem Gambling Services): A brief history and overview.
So much has transpired in mental health and addictions over the last two years during the COVID-19 pandemic and there is much to learn from our colleagues at ConnexOntario. Anne Counter, Director of System Navigation and Information Services will be taking us through the history of ConnexOntario, providing us a refresher of their services, as well as sharing current data in regards to trends specific to gambling and technology use. We will also learn about the impact of COVID-19 on the...
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“Addicted” to Social Media? Does Empathy play a role?
How does empathy relate to social media addiction? Well a study conducted in 2020 looked at the association of empathy and social media addiction amongst high school students. They also looked at another hypothesis (which is not discussed here). Empathy was defined as “the skill to comprehend and share other’s emotions and feelings ”. The authors acknowledged that empathy has both a cognitive component (i.e. understanding another person’s emotions) and an affective component (i.e. the...
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Supporting African Caribbean Black (ACB) Women with Gambling Concerns: A Best Practices Guide for Professionals – A wonderful collaborative article and a must read from the team at Jean Tweed and their project partners.
As February comes to a close with us celebrating and honoring Black History Month , we are only mindful at GGTU to ensure we send out a tribute to the Jean Tweed article, spearheaded by Angela Allen. This well written guide needs to be shared within our community since it shines a light on their wonderful research and helps us better understand and support African Caribbean Black (ACB) women with gambling concerns. After a thorough literature review and survey being conducted, the results...
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Re: Trauma informed care: Nervous system regulation for problem gambling
This looks like a really interesting webinar coming from a mind-body approach to working with clients. It also connects well to the work of Dr Gabor Mate, who speaks of trauma and addiction.
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Re: Adverse Childhood Events, Emotional dysregulation and Gambling: A potential link?
This intersects well with the work of Dr Gabor Mate who talks about the connection between trauma and addiction. Many addiction programs teach their clients about emotional regulation who greatly benefit from it. We would ask all clients coming into the problem gambling and technology use program at CAMH about any history of trauma.
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Re: Adverse Childhood Events, Emotional dysregulation and Gambling: A potential link?
Thanks Peter and Hamza, this is so insightful. We did have Dr. Mate come present at Addiction Rounds a couple of years ago. It was really well received. Great to see this transfer over.
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The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens, 2021-22
Common Sense Media have published their annual report from a large-scale, national survey of U.S teens and tweens on their media use habits. The report compares media use by teens and tweens before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the report, the authors present some recommendations for caregivers and parents as well as policymakers about healthy and safe media use for young people. Below are some key findings from the report: Media use in tweens and teens has grown faster since the...
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Digital Burnout: How it May Impact Perceptions of Problem Technology Use
Digital Burnout: COVID-19 Lockdown Mediates Excessive Technology Use Stress by Sharma Manoj Kumar, Anand Nitin, Ahuja Shikha, Thakur Pranjali Chakraborty, Mondal Ishita, Singh Priya, Kohli Tavleen, Venkateshan Sangeetha View the article here Discussions of how events of the Covid-19 pandemic might impacts various areas of human life have been a hot topic for debate over the previous 2 years. With outbreak numbers stabilizing and the resuming of "normal" daily activities more recently,...
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Video Game and ADHD Video Resource
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R634ytgt7fw 1) By discussing the feedback loop in video games, this video helps to increase understanding on why things offline start to feel less rewarding compared to video games, along with why it is easier to focus / be motivated with a game. 2) This video offers ADHD target information, which is of extra benefit since having ADHD is a risk facture in developing problematic gaming behaviour. However, this information can still be applied to neurotypical...
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Re: Anxiety, loneliness and Fear of Missing Out: The impact of social media on young people’s mental health
The urges absolutely happen! I myself can go through phases where I am more mindful then others. I see many people as well in my personal life/ work life feeling the need to "check their phone". Great to discuss from an early age when its a "good time" to review your social media/ phone as to when it may be more beneficial to absorb the moment we are in.
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Social media break improves mental health
https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/social-media-break-improves-mental-health-new-study/ Results of a UK study that asked participants to take a week-long break from social media improved individuals’ overall level of well-being, as well as reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety. 154 adults ( aged 18 to 72) who used social media every day were randomized to: 1. intervention group= asked to stop using all social media for one-week 2. control group= continue scrolling as normal Even those...
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Microtransactions in Videogames
Attached are an article and youtube video on the prevalence of microtransactions in videogames. For those of you who may be unaware, microtransactions are purchases that can be made inside a video game for cosmetic items or gameplay advantages. In many games, these purchases come in the form of a "loot box" system, where the only way to get the item that you are interested in is to "roll" for them, forcing you to buy multiple useless items as well. This is essentially an early introduction...
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Health effects of gaming
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-health-effects-of-too-much-gaming-2020122221645 This article highlights some benefits as well as negative effects of gaming: They highlight that gaming can enhance feeling connected as well as helping adolescents with ADHD improve their thinking skills. They highlight the possible negative effects of gaming as repetitive stress or overuse injuries in hands or arms, obesity, vision problems, sleep deprivation, circadian rhythm disorders, anxiety,...
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Game Over: Game Quitters – Online Peer Support for Gamers
Game Over: Game Quitters – Online Peer Support for Gamers www.gamequitters.com YouTube: https://youtu.be/dyOLc5cl6ck Cam’s story is one that many would resonate with. He is the founder of Game Quitters which is an online support page for gamers who are concerned about their gaming habits. It is a safe space that offers a chance for individuals to connect with others who are experiencing similar struggles with gaming addiction. It is well formatted with resources in various forms including...
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Client Video on Confidence with Gaming vs Offline World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wngVZR8ISBU In this video by Cam from Game Quitters (a self-help group for people with video game addiction and their family that also has treatment services for a fee) outlines a common concern within the gaming community. The idea that gaming is the only thing the person can do well, and that cutting back or quitting games will take away the only way they can feel accomplished. Not only is this a fear that many clients for problem gaming can relate to, but...
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Re: Health effects of gaming
I do always forget that there are some positive/ benefits to gaming. Motivation behind their behaviour and their perceived benefit is well written! Great conversations to have with someone struggling or not even.
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Problematic Online Behaviors Among Gamers
Article posted for COI was: Rozgonjuk, Dmitri & Schivinski, Bruno & Pontes, Halley & Montag, Christian. (2022). Correction to: Problematic Online Behaviors Among Gamers: the Links Between Problematic Gaming, Gambling, Shopping, Pornography Use, and Social Networking. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. Accessed May 16, 2022 at https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11469-021-00590-3.pdf Three Bullet Points – How Article Relates to Gaming Behaviors listed...
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Therapist Survey on covid impact training needs
Research and knowledge exchange opportunity Dear EENET members: We are still conducting our survey of the impact of Covid on treatment services and service providors. Please click on the link below to participate in this anonymous survey. I've also attached a summary of the results from the first round of this survey as feedback to the EENet community. Original post. Dr. Nigel Turner at CAMH is conducting a short survey aimed towards at clinicians who help people with addictions and mental...
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Three hours a week: Play time’s over for China’s young video gamers
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/video-games/three-hours-week-play-times-chinas-young-video-gamers-rcna1816 In 2021 China imposed restrictions on video game play for under 18’s, 1 hour of play Fri, Sat, and Sun between 8pm and 9pm. An intervention China said was required to “pull the plug on a growing addiction”, gaming once described as “spiritual opium”. Has this been helpful, should other countries adopt this strategy? In China gaming companies are required to have Real-name verification...
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Video game play is positively correlated with well-being
Video game play is positively correlated with well-being | Royal Society Open Science (royalsocietypublishing.org) - This study shows an overall positive correlation between video game play and an individual's mental health - It studies people playing the new Plants vs Zombies and Animal Crossing games, which are fairly "casual" gameplay experiences. I am curious what the study would look like when run on more "competitive" gamers like MMO, MOBA and FPS players - They also noticed an...
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The Association Between Video Gaming and Psychological Functioning - Journal Entry
Journal article - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01731/full 1. I think it is easy for us to fall into a thinking trap of "all gaming is bad" or that there are no benefits of gaming. This article sheds light on some of the positives of gaming. 2. Researchers did find a medium-sized relation between potentially problematic video game use and poor psychological functioning with regard to general psychological symptoms, maladaptive coping strategies, negative...
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How the Pandemic Changed Social Media
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/quarantine-trends-social-media The pandemic lockdowns increased time spent on social media, as well as social users world-wide. The Pandemic impacted the bets time to post as many people moved to working from home, changing the typical 9-5 workday in turn changing social media peak hours. Will social media use return to pre pandemic levels for individuals or is this increase in use here to stay?
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Commentary - Chinese Video Gaming Policy
The article discusses 1) alleged ineffectiveness, 2) alleged Draconian-ness, and 3) emerging evidence of identifiable benefits. Read on if interested in these aspects of the policy! See article attached.
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Re: Commentary - Chinese Video Gaming Policy
The article discusses 1) alleged ineffectiveness, 2) alleged Draconian-ness, and 3) emerging evidence of identifiable benefits. Read if interested in these aspects of the policy. Reference: Xiao, L.Y. (2022). Reserve your judgement on "Draconian" Chinese video gaming restrictions on children. Commentary on: Draconian policy measures are unlikely to prevent disordered gaming (Colder Carras et al., 2021). Accessed June 3, 2022 at https://www.researchgate.net/p...er_Carras_et_al_2021 (pasted ...
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GGTU launches new digital newsletter
Gambling, Gaming and Technology Use has launched a new digital newsletter on our new GGTU website . We also have an online digital assessment survey . We want to hear from you about the topics we should be focusing on, and the types of resources and digital products we should be offering in the year ahead.
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Is Digital Detoxing actually effective? What does the research say?
At this point I think we’ve all heard of the impacts of smartphone use on mental health. Different strategies have been suggested as ways to reduce the negative impacts of smartphone use. One of the popular way people have tried to reduce their smartphone use is through “digital detoxing”. Digital detoxing has been loosely defined as spending time away from electronic devices such as smartphone to help promote wellbeing. But does it actually work? A recent article by Radtke et al (2022)...
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Re: WEBINAR: The Impacts of Digital Technologies on Mental Health and Addictions Series, Part 3: Bridging the Digital Divide to Optimize Health Outcomes and Experiences for Youth
Thank you Tara Marie for curating such a informative series!
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Webinar Replay! Bridging the Digital Divide to Optimize Health Outcomes and Experiences for Youth
On Thursday July 21, 2022, GGTU hosted the final installment of the three-part webinar series, The Impacts of Digital Technologies on Mental Health and Addictions. Dr. Skye Barbic (UBC/Foundry) and Al Raimundo (Foundry BC) co-presented this latest webinar titled, Bridging the Digital Divide to Optimize Health Outcomes and Experiences for Youth . In this webinar, the speakers described the digital health needs of young people accessing youth mental health services and outlined current ways in...
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Re: Turning off notifications, does it actually help?
Thanks Peter for your response! I noticed that as well, especially when I haven’t used an App in a while I would get a notification saying get back on the app or else you will lose this feature or this deal etc. As far as your question, the authors analyzed the study data they collected using the tracking app. Hope that answers your question!
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Re: Reflections on a Webinar Series: The Impacts of Digital Technologies on Mental Health and Addictions
Such a thoughtfully planned and executed series, @Registered Member. I thought they all addressed very interesting areas of our work and I particularly liked Part 3 and getting to hear about all the innovative work Foundry are doing out in BC to ensure youth can contribute to and use such an effective platform to connect with services.
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Reflections on a Webinar Series: The Impacts of Digital Technologies on Mental Health and Addictions
In late 2021, I curated a three-part thematic series of webinars for the Gambling, Gaming and Technology Use (GGTU) program to host in 2022. This series was titled, The Impacts of Digital Technologies on Mental Health and Addictions . Each webinar invited different experts to present on a topic that demonstrates key intersections between technology use and well-being. The series was comprised of: Part 1: ‘Swipe sesh’: Exploring the impacts of dating apps on mental health among adults ,...
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Re: Reflections on a Webinar Series: The Impacts of Digital Technologies on Mental Health and Addictions
Thank you, Marie-Claire! Especially for your expert technical and planning support throughout. I agree about the presentation that showcased Foundry's innovative approach. New app development benefits greatly from the meaningful inclusion of those who will use such tools in their design and promotion.
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GGTU digital newsletter: September Issue
Check out our new digital newsletter for September 2022. It features recent news articles, statistics/research, conferences, education and training, all happening in our sector. We also have our online survey for digital products we plan to launch in the upcoming months, so your feedback is so appreciated. Check out our "Meet the Team" section too, where we showcase work done by our team. In our second instalment of Meet the Team, we introduce you to Marie-Claire Conlin, Education...
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Screen Time - effects on the social, cognitive and emotional development of children and youth
https://informedfutures.org/wp...tive-development.pdf ; The article speaks to the effects of ‘screen time’ on the emotional, social and cognitive development of children and youth, including gaming, social media, and educational type virtual activities – both positive and negative. It mentions some emerging evidence on structural changes within the brain associated with increased use and how it relates to non-educational screen time. It mentions a factor around ‘stimulation overload’...
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Problem technology use, academic performance, and school connectedness among adolescents
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8871851/ 1. This article discuss about the problem technology use and the related effects on academic performance and student life. This article was prepared based on data collected from students. 2. The article clearly picturizes that females are more affected by excessive technology use and the resulted academic complications than male. The study also points to the fact that the connection between problem technology use and academic performance...
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Is Facebook creating "iDisorders" ?
1. This article dated back in January 2013, focusing on the technological use of various means and media on symptomology of mood disorders and examines the impact of attitudes toward technology and multitasking in addition to tech related anxiety around the inability to check devices as frequently as desired. 2. "iDIsorders" was defined as "...the negative relationship between technology usage and psychological health", suggesting implications around heightened usage being negative. 3. In...
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Internet gaming disorder in an adolescent during the COVID-19 pandemic: a case report
1. This case study reports the case of a 16-year-old student with a "typical" pattern of internet gaming disorder (IGD) developed during the pandemic, which improved after weeks of treatment with pharmacotherapy and psychosocial interventions 2. This study suggest that the combination of pharmacological treatment such as antidepressants (SSRI) and antipsychotics with individual and family-focused psychosocial interventions are useful in improving problematic behaviors. 3.This study pointed...
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Gaming and gambling: What’s the difference?
Video games often have elements of gambling, and there are blurred lines between games of skill and games of chance. It’s important to understand the definition of gambling, how the lines are blurred and the signs of a potential problem. The YMCA Youth Gambling Awareness Program (YGAP) defines gambling as “risking something of value when you don’t know if you will win or lose.” “It’s a myth that you can only gamble with money,” says Dua Fatima, Youth Outreach Worker for YMCA in Toronto West.
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Dispelling Myths Around Youth Gambling
When it comes to gambling, there are many misconceptions — and perhaps the biggest one is that youth don’t (or can’t) gamble. That’s because we often associate gambling with playing poker or blackjack in a casino. But gambling takes many different forms. In fact, 68 per cent of Ontario youth said they participated in a gambling activity in the past 12 months, according to YMCA’s Youth Gambling Awareness Program (YGAP) Youth for Youth Digital Media Awareness Campaign in 2020. YGAP defines...
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Re: Gambling- speaker
Dr. Michael Naraine did a presentation on the changing landscape of sports betting in Canada at the Sports Betting Symposium last year and it discussed legislative changes and effects on the market. He was a great speaker as well
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Setting Healthy Boundaries
Youth Gambling Although they may not be of legal age to enter a casino, youth may be already engaging in gambling behavior to some degree, even from a young age — whether that’s making a bet with a rare Pokémon card or playing a claw machine game to win a prize. Gambling at any age has risks associated with it and the potential to cause harm. Some video games have elements of betting or gambling, even in skill-based games. Loot boxes are an example which typically offer players a chance to...
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IPTU Fall 2023 TEDtalk- Technology Addiction and What you can do about it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0adeZP6aDQw TEDtalk- Technology Addiction and What you can do about it. Ben Halpert TEDxSaintThomas (2015) Entertaining Talk about h ow society is guiding children from infancy to adolescence raised on technology- in many aspects of their lives and ways to balance technology use to prevent overuse and addiction. This is very applicable to the course as it highlights common themes that people may take for granted without considering the consequences. Ben...
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Re: IPTU Fall 2023 Course topic: Screenagers Blog
The topic of temptation is an interesting one, and I agree that one of the suggestions of naming/labelling it is a good one (i.e., name it to tame it). When is it okay to give into temptation and when should we resist? The answer might be different for different people and at different times in our lives as well but by naming and acknowledging it we can be more conscience of how we make that decision.
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Re: How to Do a Digital Detox Without Unplugging Completely
Harm reduction is really important to consider, as for most people abstinence of different technology isn't realistic as it's intertwined in a lot of our lives as well as it being positive and without any potential negatives used in moderation and intentionally.