Co-occurrence of symptoms of substance and behavioral addictions over time: A secondary analysis of longitudinal data from the Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors

Sep 29, 2026

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Co-occurrence of substance-use disorder symptoms and behavioral addictions is examined over 10 years using longitudinal cohort data from Switzerland. The transdiagnostic Syndrome Model of Addiction frames addiction as a syndrome with multiple expressions, motivating profile identification and prediction of group membership trajectories. Latent transition analysis identifies Low-, Medium-, and High-symptom profiles, evaluates their stability, and tests associations with personality and family and relationship factors. Multinomial regression and general linear models link profile membership and transitions to psychosocial outcomes, including life satisfaction and negative life events.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

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Abstract

Background and aims

Methods

Results

Discussion and conclusions

Introduction

The Syndrome Model of Addiction

Journal of Behavioral Addictions 14 (2025) 4, 1503–1516 DOI: 10.1556/2006.2025.00088 © 2025 The Author(s) FULL-LENGTH REPORT †Dr Simone Amendola is currently afﬁliated with the Department of Cultures, Education and Society at the University of Calabria (Cosenza, Italy) . Email: [simone.amendola@unical.it](simone.amendola@unical.it) [p](pCorresponding author.)[Corresponding author.](pCorresponding author.) E-mail: [andrea.zagaria@uniroma2.it](andrea.zagaria@uniroma2.it) [pp](pp Corresponding author.)[ Corresponding author.](pp Corresponding author.) E-mail: [amend.sim@gmail.com](amend.sim@gmail.com) Co-occurrence of symptoms of substance and behavioral addictions over time: A secondary analysis of longitudinal data from the Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors ANDREA ZAGARIA 1p, GUYONNE ROGIER2 , GERHARD GMEL3 and SIMONE AMENDOLA4†pp 1 Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Rome, Italy 2 Saint Camillus International University of Health Sciences, Rome, Italy 3 Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland 4 Independent Researcher, Italy Received: June 13, 2025 • Revised manuscript received: September 17, 2025 • Accepted: September 25, 2025 Published online: November 24, 2025 ABSTRACT Background and aims: The transdiagnostic Syndrome Model of Addiction considers addiction as a syndrome with multiple opportunities for expression, i.e., a common underlying disorder that may manifest in distinctive ways. Considering that testing of the model has been rare, this study examined the co-occurrence of symptoms of substance use disorders and behavioral addictions over 10 years by identifying proﬁles and predictors associated with group membership. Methods: Longitudinal data (N 5 4,760 males) from the Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors (C-SURF) conducted in Switzerland were analyzed using a latent transition analysis (LTA). Symptoms of substance use (alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco) disorders and behavioral addictions (gaming and gambling) were used for identifying addiction proﬁles and group membership trajectories. A multinomial logistic regression model examined predictors of proﬁle membership, while two general linear models tested whether proﬁle membership predicted psychosocial outcomes. Results: LTA revealed three distinct profiles of symptoms of addiction, labelled Low- (91–92% of the sample), Medium- (5–7%), and High-symptom (1–3%) proﬁles. Thus, frequency or intensity of addiction symptoms tended to co-occur. The stability of Low-proﬁle membership remained consistently high over time (97%), whereas the stability of Medium- and Highproﬁle memberships was moderate (40–49%). Sensation seeking, neuroticism, parental attitude, and poor parental monitoring were associated with Medium and High proﬁles compared to the Low proﬁle. Poor relationships with parents and friends were uniquely associated with High proﬁle, whereas hostility, sociability, and family history of mental disorders were associated with Medium proﬁle. Education, sensation seeking, hostility, and neuroticism were associated with transitions between proﬁles over time. Proﬁle membership predicted subsequent life satisfaction and negative life events. Discussion and conclusions: Symptoms of substance use disorders and behavioral addictions tend to co-occur, and profile membership is relatively stable. However, transition to less severe profiles also occurs and is influenced by education and personality traits. Our findings have implications for preventive interventions aiming at reducing the risk of addictive disorders becoming chronic and for identifying young adults most in need of support. KEYWORDS addictive disorder, transition, longitudinal, development, behavioral addictions INTRODUCTION The Syndrome Model of Addiction Shaffer et al.’s (2004) transdiagnostic Syndrome Model of Addiction proposes to consider addiction as a syndrome with multiple oppo

FAQs

What was the main goal of the study?

To examine how symptoms of substance use disorders and behavioral addictions co-occur over 10 years and to identify profiles and predictors of group membership trajectories.

How were addiction symptom profiles identified over time?

Using latent transition analysis (LTA) on longitudinal symptoms of substance use disorders (alcohol, cannabis, tobacco) and behavioral addictions (gaming, gambling).

Which factors predicted which symptom profiles and transitions?

Sensation seeking, neuroticism, parental attitude, and poor parental monitoring related to Medium and High profiles versus Low; education, sensation seeking, hostility, and neuroticism related to transitions between profiles.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Adam