VAM-Quest: Valoración de la Ad play online

Addiction is a primary and chronic brain disease that affects the reward circuit and that involves a series of physical, psychological and social manifestations. This is reflected in a pathological search for substances or behaviors that provide the individual with a sense of reward and / or relief. Currently, two classes of addictive disorders are proposed: those related to substances and those without substance, also called behavioral addictions. The main behavioral addictions are pathological gambling, addiction to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), compulsive shopping (oniomania), sex addiction and work addiction.
ICTs are tools designed to inform and communicate that they have become an indispensable part of our lives. In this sense, the mobile phone plays a fundamental role, since it provides the individual with numerous tools and resources that, although they are intended to make daily tasks easier, have a certain addictive potential as they are part of the current lifestyle. In fact, the term Nomophobia (not mobile phobia) refers to the fear or worry that a person may experience when not being near their mobile phone or being unable to use it. In addition, mobile addiction presents psychological and physical symptoms similar to other classic drug dependence disorders.
Mobile addiction is a substance-free dependence disorder, the prevalence of which is increasing rapidly, especially among the younger segment of the population. According to the 2019 EDADES report, it is estimated that 1% of the population suffers from smartphone dependence syndrome. This type of disorder involves the same social health problems as classic addictions, with its corresponding economic and social cost.
The VAM QUEST questionnaire is a questionnaire for the Assessment of Mobile Addiction that consists of a series of questions or items that are divided into three differentiated subscales:
- Mobile use pattern (VAMp) to assess the risk of dependence on the smartphone based on the time of use of data applications and social networks.
- Symptoms of addiction to mobile phones (VAMs), with which dependency is assessed based on user behavior.
- Perceived consequences of mobile addiction (VAMc) to determine the risk perception of the person.

The aspects of addiction that the VAM-Quest assesses are the following:
- Craving or compulsive search for reinforcement behavior, in this case the use of the mobile.
- Loss of control of mobile use.
- Negative consequences in daily life of compulsive smartphone use.
- Withdrawal symptoms when the mobile cannot be used or the data is not available.

Four categories have been established that determine the degree of dependence or addiction to mobile phones:
- without dependency: in this category are the users who do not use the mobile phone, either because they are not interested in it, or because they cannot use it. Therefore, it is also possible that users with scores within this category are experiencing social isolation through mobile.
- mild degree: it does not indicate a real risk of suffering from a disease and is rather the result of an adaptation to a new technological era.
- moderate degree: people in this range do not have pathology, but they do have risky behavior due to disproportionate use of the mobile phone. Therefore, they could lead to addiction in the event of a circumstance that involves stress or chronic overload.
- Severe degree: it is indicative of an altered behavior that can hardly be combined with the rest of the activities of daily life, since the mobile phone has become the center of his life.

Once a user has taken the VAM test, they can know if they are engaging in risky behavior, and have even developed a possible dependence on the mobile phone.