By Eric W. DolanOriginal Source: psypost.comA new study provides evidence that feelings of shame act as a pathway between depression and addiction in young adults.In a paper published online in the journal Addictive Behaviors, scientists sought to better understand the associations between depression, shame and addiction using a sample of 210 college students.“Emerging adulthood is a particularly risky time in development, coinciding with the onset of mood and substance use disorders/addiction,” said study author Elena Bilevicius of the University of Manitoba.“Considering the high comorbidity rates between these conditions, we thought it was important to better understand the depressive-risk pathway to addiction. Previous work has linked shame to both depression and addiction, so we thought it was appropriate to examine shame as a potential mediator in this risk pathway.”The researchers measured levels of depressive symptoms, shame, alcohol misuse, and gambling problems over the span of one month. They found that higher levels of depression were associated with increased...click here to continue reading