Latent Profiles of Motivational and Regulatory Systems and Their Differential Associations with Problematic Gaming and Smoking Behavior Among Chinese College Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Problematic gaming and smoking are prevalent among college students, yet the extent to which they share or differ in associated psychological profiles remains unclear. This study identified latent psychological profiles based on motivational (Behavioral Inhibition System [BIS] and Behavioral Activation System [BAS]) and regulatory (control/impulse) systems, and examined the associative pathways through which anxiety and depression were linked to the relationships between these profiles and the two addictive behaviors.