Filling the void: sense of absence as a comprehensive bridge between attachment, parent–adolescent communication, and addictive behaviors among adolescents
- 1Faculty of Education, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
Abstract
Adolescent addictive behaviors present a growing public health concern, yet the pathways leading from experiences of disconnection to persistent addictive patterns remain unclear. This study examined the Sense of Absence (SoA), a subjective feeling of inner void and disconnection, as a potential bridge linking relational deprivation with addictive behaviors. This cross-sectional study used network analysis and was conducted in Israel with a sample of 2,564 adolescents’ communities. Participants completed a sense of absence, relational tendencies (parent-adolescent communication, attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety) and addictive behaviors (alcohol, drugs, internet gaming disorder, problematic social networks use, smartphone addiction, shopping addiction, problem gambling, problematic pornography use, compulsive sexual behavior). Bridge centrality analysis indicated that SoA exhibited the highest bridge strength across all nodes, exceeding direct relational to addiction connections. Connection density analysis showed that SoA had the strongest cross domain connectivity, whereas direct edges between relational and addictive domains were relatively sparse. SoA also showed stronger associations with relational factors than with addictive behaviors. Overall, the findings suggest that SoA occupies a central structural position in the network linking relational tendencies and addictive behaviors.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-026-01150-0.
Related
- Attachment-Based Family Therapy for Suicidal and Depressed Adolescents in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Concordance between gambling disorder, alcohol use disorder, and other behavioural addictions provides evidence for a comprehensive approach to addictive behaviours: A multiple systematic review analysis
- Avoiding Feelings and Resisting Closeness: A Network Analysis of Attachment and Affect Regulation in Adolescents with Mental Health Concerns
- Family cohesion and adolescent self-esteem: mediating effects of interpersonal self-support and moderating role of school attachment
- A pilot randomized controlled trial of an integrative psychotherapy incorporating an attachment-based approach for adolescents with cannabis use disorder (TIMCA).
BibTeX
@article{efrati2026filling,
title = {{Filling the void: sense of absence as a comprehensive bridge between attachment, parent–adolescent communication, and addictive behaviors among adolescents}},
author = {Yaniv Efrati},
journal = {Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s13034-026-01150-0},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-026-01150-0},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Filling the void: sense of absence as a comprehensive bridge between attachment, parent–adolescent communication, and addictive behaviors among adolescents
AU - Yaniv Efrati
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/05
JO - Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health
DO - 10.1186/s13034-026-01150-0
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-026-01150-0
AB - Adolescent addictive behaviors present a growing public health concern, yet the pathways leading from experiences of disconnection to persistent addictive patterns remain unclear. This study examined the Sense of Absence (SoA), a subjective feeling of inner void and disconnection, as a potential bridge linking relational deprivation with addictive behaviors. This cross-sectional study used network analysis and was conducted in Israel with a sample of 2,564 adolescents’ communities. Participants completed a sense of absence, relational tendencies (parent-adolescent communication, attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety) and addictive behaviors (alcohol, drugs, internet gaming disorder, problematic social networks use, smartphone addiction, shopping addiction, problem gambling, problematic pornography use, compulsive sexual behavior). Bridge centrality analysis indicated that SoA exhibited the highest bridge strength across all nodes, exceeding direct relational to addiction connections. Connection density analysis showed that SoA had the strongest cross domain connectivity, whereas direct edges between relational and addictive domains were relatively sparse. SoA also showed stronger associations with relational factors than with addictive behaviors. Overall, the findings suggest that SoA occupies a central structural position in the network linking relational tendencies and addictive behaviors. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-026-01150-0.
SN - 1753-2000
ER -