Devin J. Mills, Ph.D.

Bio

Dr. Devin Mills is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community, Family, and Addiction Sciences at Texas Tech University. He is originally from Wisconsin, where he completed his undergraduate and master's degrees at Edgewood College. Dr. Mills completed his Ph.D. at McGill University in Montreal in 2017, and subsequently served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Rutgers University within the Center for Gambling Studies until 2019.

Research Focus

His research explores the development of substance use disorders and behavioral addictions, specifically video gaming and gambling disorder, from social and personality psychological frameworks. In addition to studying the development of addictions, Dr. Mills also researches the factors that promote and sustain individuals' recovery from addiction.

Area of Expertise

Addictive Behaviors; Human Motivation; Social Psychology; Video Gaming Addiction; Gambling Disorder

Selected Publications

Mills, D. J. (2019). Does dispositional mindfulness moderate how individuals engage in their passions? An investigation into video games. Leisure Studies, Online Advance Publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2019.1633682

Li, W., Mills, D. J., & Nower, L. (2019). Loot boxes: An emerging risk for gambling and video gaming disorder. Addictive Behaviors, 97, 27–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.05.016

Mills, D. J., & Nower, L. (2019). Preliminary findings on cryptocurrency trading among regular gamblers: A new risk for problem gambling?. Addictive Behaviors, 92, 136–140. DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.01.005

Mettler, J., Mills, D. J., & Heath, N. L. (2019). Problematic gaming and subjective well-being: How does mindfulness play a role?. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. DOI: 10.1007/s11469-018-9978-5

Mills, D. J., Milyavskaya, M., Mettler, J., & Heath, N. L. (2018) Exploring the pull and push underlying problem video game use: A Self-Determination Theory approach. Personality and Individual Differences, 135, 176–181. DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2018.07.007

Mills, D. J., Milyavskaya, M., Mettler, J., Heath, N. L., & Derevensky, J. L. (2018). How do passion for video games and needs frustration explain time spent gaming? British Journal of Social Psychology, 57, 461–481. DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12239

Mills, D. J., Milyavskaya, M., Derevensky, J., & Heath, N. L. (2018). Gaming motivation and problematic video gaming: The role of needs frustration. European Journal of Social Psychology 48, 551-559. DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12239