The Matthew Effect in Recovery from Smartphone Addiction in a 6-Month Longitudinal Study of Children and Adolescents

The clinical course of problematic smartphone use (PSU) remains largely unknown due to a lack of longitudinal studies. We recruited 193 subjects with smartphone addiction problems for the present study. After providing informed consent, the subjects completed surveys and underwent comprehensive interviews regarding smartphone usage. A total of 56 subjects among the 193 initially recruited subjects were followed up for six months. We compared baseline characteristics between persistent addicted users and recovered users at the end of the 6-month follow-up. Persistent problematic smartphone users displayed higher baseline smartphone addiction severity and were more prone to develop mental health problems at the follow-up. However, baseline depressive or anxiety status did not significantly influence the course of PSU. PSU behaved more like an addictive disorder rather than a secondary psychiatric disorder. Harm avoidance, impulsivity, higher Internet use, and less conversation time with mothers were identified as poor prognostic factors in PSU. Lower quality of life, low perceived happiness, and goal instability also contributed to persistent PSU, while recovery increased these scores as well as measures of self-esteem. These findings suggest that the Matthew effect is found in the recovery of PSU with better premorbid psychosocial adjustment leading to a more successful recovery. Greater clinical resources are required for interventions in vulnerable populations to modify the course of this increasingly prevalent problematic behavior worldwide.

Comparing Two Groups of Student-Athletes: Implications for Academic and Career Advising

In this study, we explored the career variables of goal instability, vocational identity, and career decidedness levels in two groups of student-athletes. We compared scholarship student-athletes who had been selected to participate in a summer academic-support program designed for at-risk students to scholarship athletes who were not included in the summer-support program. Both groups consisted of student-athletes from various sports with football and basketball the primary sports for the summer program participants and swimming and cross country the primary sports for student-athletes not included in the summer-support program. Results of the study indicated that no significant differences were found between the two groups of college student-athletes with regard to their goal instability, vocational identity, or career decidedness. Implications for academic and career advising as well as future research are discussed.

Goal instability, self-esteem, and vocational identity of high school Portuguese students

According to the self-psychology of Heinz Kohut, development of a healthy narcissism that is reflected in a secure sense of self, permits individuals to set and pursue meaningful life goals and maintain a sense ofwell-being, particularly in periods of transition and change. Based on this perspective, the primary purpose of this study was to assess the contribution of goal instability and self-esteem to the vocational identity of Portuguese high school students using a sample of 375 individuals. Additionally, the effect of gender and age on vocational identity was assessed. A regression equation accounted for 32% of the variance of the dependent variable with goal instability emerging as the strongest predictor. Implications for career theory and counseling are discussed.