Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36857029›Full record

ArticleJournal of behavioral addictions2023

Longitudinal associations between maladaptive daydreaming and psychological distress during the COVID-19 health crisis.

Alessandro Musetti, Nirit Soffer-Dudek, Chiara Imperato, Adriano Schimmenti, Christian Franceschini

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of behavioral addictions, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Maladaptive Daydreaming and Psychopathology: A Meta-Analysis.International journal of psychology : Journal international de psychologie · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Maladaptive daydreaming should be included as a dissociative disorder in psychiatric manuals: position paper.The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science · 2025
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Alessandro Musetti1Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Industries, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-4125-0068
Nirit Soffer-Dudek2Consciousness and Psychopathology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.ORCID 0000-0002-8778-798X
Chiara Imperato1Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Industries, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-4787-0631
Adriano Schimmenti3Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, UKE - Kore University of Enna, Enna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-5181-2648
Christian Franceschini4Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-9307-5209

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background and aims: Maladaptive Daydreaming (MD) is a suggested syndrome where individuals become addicted to fantasizing vividly for hours on end at the expense of engaging in real-world relationships and functioning. MD can be seen as a behavioral addiction. However, a paucity of longitudinal research means that there is no empirical evidence confirming the stability of this alleged addiction. Moreover, the direction of its association with psychopathology is unclear. Methods: We examine, for the first time, long-term stability and longitudinal associations between MD, psychological distress (stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms) and COVID-19 related exposure. Results: Participants (N = 814) completed an online survey twice, with a lag of 13 months. A two-wave structural equation model demonstrated high MD stability and positive cross-lagged pathways from MD to psychological distress. COVID-19 related exposure was not a longitudinal predictor. Discussion and conclusions: MD is a stable condition and a risk factor for an increase in psychological distress.

Indexed as

COVID-19Psychological DistressAnxietyAnxiety DisordersDepressionHumansStress, PsychologicalSurveys and QuestionnairesanxietyCOVID-19depressionmaladaptive daydreamingpsychological distressstress

Identifiers

PMID36857029
PMCPMC10260213

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.