Matilda Hellman

Is there such a thing as online video game addiction? A cross-disciplinary review

Drawing on explanatory pluralism this cross-disciplinary theoretical study asks whether excessive compulsive online gaming can be called an addiction on the basis of what is known about the disorder. This article discusses the concept of addiction; the social seating of the problems and it reviews, recent scientific literature on criteria used for diagnosing addictions. In addition, contributions by brain science are discussed. The study unfolds different dimensions of the problem and concludes by stating that research indicate that there indeed seems to be a type of problematic online gaming behavior, which bears similarities to such an extent with the essence of the concept and the phenomenon of addiction that it can beneficially lend itself and be compared to it. The authors suggest that this behavioral addiction may differ from drug addictions in magnitude, but not in kind. In addition, the authors find a possible solution for conceptualizing behavioral addictions by a general de-medicalization of the concept of addiction.

From myth of marginality to portrayals of an addictive society: Reporting on addictions in the Finnish press (1968–2006)

This study uses a systematically collected dataset to explore and discuss how the coverage of addiction has changed in Finlands biggest daily, Helsingin Sanomat, during the period 1968–2006. Newspaper texts have been collected through systematic reading of 432 issues (N = 432) from sampled weeks with the main aim of investigating some general trends in the addiction reporting over time. The study consists of two main parts. First, based on a systematic reading the themes, formats and frequency of addiction reporting were examined. In the second stage, a content analysis was conducted on a corpus of texts on addiction (n = 200) selected with the main criteria of dealing with “continous problematic repetitive behavior” that is related to excessive alcohol use, drug intake, tobacco use, compulsive eating, gambling, and sexual behavior. Variables to be analyzed are (1) type of addiction dealt with, (2) who is the addict, and (3) view(s) on type of problem as portrayed in the text. The results from the study show that the addiction reporting starts out from being a more clear product of so called time-out culture (Jensen BK. 1995. The social semiotics of mass communication. London: SAGE Publications), reflecting on the extraordinary and describing marginality. In the end of the 1990s, the texts start to have another function as compulsive behaviors are seen as something more common, and described more often from the individuals perspective. At the same time, a general tabloidization is putting its marks on the form and content of the addiction coverage.

Collectivist and individualist values traits in Finnish and Italian adolescents' alcohol norms

Purpose – The study aims to investigate a possible application of the concepts of individualist and collectivist (I‐C) value traits in inquiries on alcohol drinking norms in different alcohol cultures.Design/methodology/approach – Data from focus group discussions (n=16) with Italian and Finnish adolescents (aged 13‐16) is trialled against some typical dissimilarities featured in the literature on I‐C cultures.Findings – The study shows that the features identified in the I‐C dichotomy regarding personality traits and parental goal for children correlate with some culturally anchored meaning‐making of agency and autonomy emphasized in judgements of correct ways of drinking.Originality/value – The authors conclude that with certain caveats I‐C dichotomy could indeed be applied more in the cross‐cultural alcohol research.

Designation Practices and Perceptions of Addiction – a Diachronic Analysis of Finnish Press Material from 1968–2006

The study is a diachronic investigation into how addiction is designated in the leading Finnish daily newspaper in the period 1968–2006. It discusses how different designations practices for the concept of addiction are reflected in understanding of the phenomenon. Material and Proceedings Newspaper materials consisting of randomly sampled (n=432) issues of Helsingin Sanomat (HS) served as a base for the investigation. Texts were selected that discuss addiction in ways set out in the inclusion criteria. A total of 34 (=n) texts were analyzed more closely, taken from the years 1972, 1982, 1992 and 2002. Results Two main tendencies can be discerned from the 1990s and onwards. The journalistic pieces start to work an internalization of the problems, i.e. they mediate a perspective from within the problems. Simultaneously, the concept of addiction becomes conventionalized and its use expanded. The cultural unit of addiction starts to include all types of problematic repetitive behavior. The article discusses how these trends serve the general trends towards individualization and medicalization. The expert statements accounted for in the media guide the individual–-the citizen, the consumer, the potential or actual addict–-in the landscape of the logics and mechanisms of addiction.

From Criminals to Celebrities: Perceptions of "the Addict" in the Print Press from Four European Countries from Nineties to Today

The article reviews portrayals of “the addict” in press items from Italy, Finland, Poland, and The Netherlands. The dataset consists of 1,327 items from four national newspapers published in 1991, 1998, 2011. The portrayals varied according to country, period, and type of addiction problem. Results can be read as four cases where different conceptualizations (“the sinner,” “the sick,” “the social problem,” “the criminal,” and “the famous”) assume diverse importance. These conceptual frames-of-reference are clearly neither unambiguous nor fixed. They are constantly modified and part of different trends.

What’s the story on addiction? Popular myths in the USA and Finland

The study inquires into popular myths on addiction in two countries: Finland and the USA. It provides evidence of the manners in which the typical media narratives incorporate basic value traits from their context of origin. We distinguish some main features in the narrative set-ups that support different solution repertoires for dealing with addiction. Belief and hope are crucial story elements associated with the US emphasis on group formation and local empowerment. The individual is assigned obligations and can be morally condemned. In the Finnish journalistic prose, there seems to be an inherent belief that the agenda-setting in itself will propel the question into the institutionalised welfare state solution machinery. The occurrence of a story resolution was customary in the US stories, whereas the Finnish stories were typically left pending. The evidence produced has implications for the ongoing debate regarding the mainstreaming of both definitions of and solutions to addiction problems.

Behind the Scenes: The Justifications for Opioid Maintenance Treatment in Finland

Opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) has been developed within drug dependency treatment in Finland over the last 20 years. This study, based on interviews with 15 stakeholders and content analysis of 174 newspaper texts, draws on Boltanski and Thévenots theory of justification to explore ways in which OMT has been justified and identifies the main actors contributing to its development. Multiple factors, involving different actors, have influenced the development process, reflecting the ethos of contemporary Finnish welfare and health policy. Currently, the main justifications for choosing OMT treatment seem to emerge from a neoliberal frame of understanding.

Studying young recipients of alcohol marketing - Two research paradigms and their possible consolidation

Aims The article discusses and compares two European studies that investigate young recipients of commercial messages on alcohol. The studies spring out of very different science philosophical paradigms. Their comparison therefore brings certain ontological, epistemological and methodological questions to a head. Data and Methods A large amount of existing research and theorizing has been reviewed in order to frame the studies concerning the following aspects: their goals (genesis, purposes etc.); their view on the nature of reality (ontology); their view on how knowledge is created and expanded (epistemology) and, their view on the role of values in research and theory building (axiology). Results It is suggested that although the studies work in separate paradigms and are concerned with different phenomena, they could gain from a consolidation for complementary purposes. Conclusions The task of studying alcohol marketing audiences puts the alcohol research fields methodological capacities to the test. The field needs more interactive collaboration between different research traditions in order to produce credible research in this area.

A bottle of beer, a glass of wine or a shot of whiskey? Can the rate of alcohol-induced harm be affected by altering the population's beverage choices?

This article summarizes and puts into context the findings from the five articles contained in this thematic issue. The question of interest has been the connection between different beverage types and alcohol-induced harm. The key question is whether policy makers can affect rates of harm by affecting beverage choice. In the discussion, four different potential pathways for such an effect are differentiated. The first is the direct effect of the beverage over and above the effect of the ethanol it contains. The review of results suggests that the size of this effect may be modest, and it is clearly overmatched by cultural factors relating to who chooses to drink which beverage and how. However, even more relevant than the direct effect may be the other three mechanisms, which potentially affect the amounts of alcohol drunk or allow the influencing of drinker groups of interest.

What Causes Addiction Problems? Environmental, Biological and Constitutional Explanations in Press Portrayals From Four European Welfare Societies

Press items (N = 1327) about addiction related problems were collected from politically independent daily newspapers in Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland from 1991, 1998, and 2011. A synchronized qualitative coding was performed for discerning the descriptions of the genesis to the problems in terms of described causes to and reasons for why they occur. Environmental explanations were by far the most common and they varied most between the materials. The analysis documents how the portrayals include traces of their contextual origin, relating to different media tasks and welfare cultural traditions. Meaning-based differences were also assigned to the kind of problems that held the most salience in the press reporting. A general worry over societal change is tied into the explanations of accumulating addiction problems and underpins the press reporting in all countries.