The Effect of Impulsivity on Addition and Addictive Tendencies: A Meta-analysis

Immature behaviors, including impulsivity and lack of control lead to personal and social pathologies, such as addiction.

This meta-analysis study aimed to evaluate the effect of impulsivity on addition and addictive tendencies. This comprehensive interdisciplinary quantitative meta-analysis integrated the research findings regarding the effect of impulsivity on addiction and addictive tendencies based on secondary data. A checklist was developed for collecting data based on the article title, author specifications, publication year, setting, research type, hypothesis, data collection instrument, statistical population, sample size, significance level, and probability value to avoid bias in the study selection protocol.

The results of studies were divided into nine databases to calculate the effect size, and finally, 11 studies were analyzed. The descriptive data analysis and effect size calculation were performed in the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software (CMA) version 2.0. Based on the fixed-effects model, 0.153 of the studies contributed significantly to the actual fixed effect sizes. The difference in effect sizes was due to sampling error. The random-effects model (0.202) suggested the independence of the studies (P < 0.001) with moderate robustness.

According to the results, the behavioral construct of impulsivity significantly and positively affected addictive behaviors and tendencies. Therefore, the mediating effect of impulsivity, promote resilience, and train protective strategies for individuals prone to addiction should be controlled to improve mental health quality and develop social, communication, and life skills.