Problematic Gaming Is Associated with Some Health-Related Behaviors Among Finnish Vocational School Students

Addiction profile is associated with suicidal behavior and repetition of non-suicidal self injury: a latent profile analysis study in a schooled adolescents

Adolescence is a critical period for the development of self-regulatory behaviors, with emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and substance use emerging as significant factors associated with self-injury and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and patterns of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts in a community-based sample of adolescents. A sample of 1526 adolescents aged 12-16 was analyzed using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), identifying two distinct behavioral profiles: the Substance Use with Non-Problematic Gaming (37.4%) profile, characterized by alcohol, cannabis, and nicotine use, and the Moderate Problematic Gaming with Minimal Substance Use (62.6%) profile, associated with problematic video game use and minimal substance use. Overall, 36% of participants reported engaging in NSSI, 27.2% reported suicidal ideation, and 3.21% reported suicide attempts within the past year. Ordinal regression analysis indicated that adolescents in the SUP group exhibited higher levels of emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and behavioral difficulties, significantly increasing their odds of suicide attempts (OR 2.24, p < 0.02). Additionally, emotional dysregulation independently doubled the risk of suicide attempts (OR 2.01, p < 0.001). This study provides a detailed risk profile for adolescent self-injury and suicide-related behaviors in school settings. Despite the limitations of a non-clinical sample, the findings underscore the importance of early prevention efforts targeting emotional dysregulation and impulsivity. Future research should consider longitudinal approaches to better understand the developmental trajectories of NSSI and suicidal behaviors in adolescents, particularly in high-risk, marginalized populations.

The relationship between specific problematic internet use and hope: academic exhaustion as mediator and mattering as moderator among Chinese university students

Problematic social media use (PSMU) and problematic gaming (PG) among university students as specific types of problematic internet use (PIU) have become a growing concern. PSMU and PG may lead to negative outcomes such as academic exhaustion and diminished hope. However, previous studies have not simultaneously considered the associations among these variables from the perspective of Stressor-Strain-Outcome model. Furthermore, the concept of 'mattering'-the feeling of being valued and important to others and 'fear of not mattering' in this dynamic is notably under-investigated. The present study aimed to examine the associations among these variables and evaluated whether mattering profiles moderated the associations involving PIU among university students.A survey was conducted among 3,035 university students in China, with an average age of 19.24 years (SD = 1.83). The sample included 52% males and 48% females from 19 different universities. The Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form, the General Mattering Scale, the Fear of Not Mattering Inventory, the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey, and the Dispositional Hope Scale were utilized to evaluate PSMU, PG, general mattering, fear of not mattering, academic exhaustion, and hope, respectively. Furthermore, latent profile analysis was used to categorize students into distinct mattering profiles based on measures of general mattering and fear of not mattering to others.Correlational analyses indicated that PSMU and PG were associated with greater academic exhaustion, reduced hope, and higher levels of fear of not mattering. Mediation analysis identified academic exhaustion as a mediator in the relationships between PSMU and hope, as well as between PG and hope. Profile analyses identified a group of students distinguished by exceptionally low levels of general mattering. Mattering profiles acted as moderators of the associations between PG and academic exhaustion, and between academic exhaustion and hope.PG negatively affected students' hope through academic exhaustion, while different mattering profiles had diverse associations. Customized intervention strategies focused on boosting hope and feelings of mattering, and reducing fears of not mattering are needed to reduce vulnerability to PG and PSMU.

Gaming passion contributes to the definition and identification of problematic gaming

Even if for most people playing video games is a healthy leisure activity, a minority of vulnerable users present an excessive use associated to negative consequences (e.g., psychosocial maladjustment, sleep interference) and functional impairment. The current study first aims to identify psychological factors that contribute to discriminate highly involved (but healthy) gamers from problematic gamers. For that purpose, we used a cluster analysis approach to identify different groups of gamers based on their profiles of passion towards gaming (using the Dualistic Model of Passion). Another objective of the present study is to explore, using supervised machine-learning, how gaming disorder symptoms, assessed within the substance use disorder framework (e.g., tolerance, withdrawal), might be linked to harmonious and/or an obsessive passion for gaming. Three distinct clusters of gamers were identified based on their passion profiles, including risky gamers, engaged gamers, and casual gamers. Supervised machine-learning algorithms identified that specific gaming disorder symptoms (salience, mood modification, tolerance, low level of conflict) were predominantly related to harmonious passion, whereas others (withdrawal, high level of conflict, relapse) were more directly related to obsessive passion. Our results support the relevance of person-centered approaches to the treatment of problematic gaming.

Associations between digital gaming behavior and physical activity among Finnish vocational students

Abstract

Digital gaming is considered to be a major sedentary lifestyle among youth. The time spent on digital gaming may also affect the physical behavior of young adults.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the associations between various characteristics of digital gaming behavior (i.e., gaming time, device, and game type) and participation in physical activity among Finnish vocational students.

Materials and methods

The research employed a cross-sectional survey design. The analyzed sample consisted of 773 students (455 males, 318 females) from eight vocational school units in Northern Finland who regularly played digital games. Data were collected via an online self-reported questionnaire, which included questions concerning average weekly time spent on digital gaming, preferred device, favorite types of games, and physical activity.

Results

The students spent an average of two hours each day playing digital games. Males preferred to play using personal computers (PCs), whereas mobile gaming was more popular among females. Shooter (42.4%) and entertainment (64.2%) games were the most popular game types among males and females, respectively. The results revealed that male gender and PC gaming were both positively related to physical inactivity among vocational school students. A preference toward sport games was inversely related with physical inactivity.

Conclusion

The presented findings can be utilized to develop interventions that target the prevention of sedentary behavior among vocational students. Further longitudinal studies will be required to reliably assess the relationship between digital gaming and physical activity.

The association of problematic gaming characteristics with dietary habits among Finnish vocational school students

Digital gaming is a popular pastime among young people, but its links to dietary habits have been little studied. The purpose of the study was to describe dietary habits and to examine their associations to problematic gaming behavior with regard to the degree of daily digital gaming time and the overall levels of disordered-like gaming behavior among students in vocational education in the Oulu region of Finland. This cross-sectional study consisted of a total of 773 first-year vocational school students who had played digital games regularly. Data was collected by using an online survey measuring sociodemographic information, dietary habits, amount of digital gaming time, and symptoms of problematic gaming behavior. Most prevalent weekly consumed food types were chicken (90.1%), chips (87.7%), and sausages/cold cuts (85.4%). Around one-fourth of students skipped breakfast on weekdays and at weekends. A higher amount of digital gaming time was associated with skipping breakfast on weekdays. More elevated levels of disordered gaming behavior were particularly associated with the use of a group of food types encompassing carbohydrate-dense and fast food. Current research provides indications that digital gaming may have an impact on youths' dietary habits, while at the same time, however, emphasizing that the issue can be affected by several interrelated and complex factors.

Internet-based interventions for behavioral addictions: A systematic review

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Behavioral addictions are a public health problem that causes harm to both individuals and society. Internet-based interventions offer potential benefits over face-to-face therapy for the treatment of behavioral addictions, including their accessibility, perceived anonymity, and low costs. We systematically reviewed the characteristics and effectiveness of these interventions.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was conducted in: PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. A standardized methodological quality assessment was performed on all identified studies via the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) Quality Assessment Tool.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine studies were assessed in this systematic review. Between them, considerable heterogeneity was noted in various study characteristics, including screening tools, inclusion criteria, and outcome measures. Attrition rates also ranged widely (9-89%), as did study quality, with three of the 29 studies rated strong, 12 moderate, and 14 weak methodologically. Twenty-two studies focused on gambling disorder, most revealing significant within-group effects for the assessed intervention on gambling-related symptoms and four of these studies identified significant between-group effects. Behavioral addictions studied in the remaining studies included gaming disorder, internet use disorder, hoarding disorder, and pornography use disorder, revealing generally-promising, albeit limited results.

CONCLUSIONS

Internet-based interventions seem promising at reducing gambling problems, but too few studies have been published, to date, for conclusions to be drawn for other behavioral addictions. Internet-based interventions targeting other behavioral addictions - like gaming disorder, internet use disorder, hoarding disorder, and pornography use disorder - remain under-examined, warranting considerable additional research to assess their effectiveness.

Epidemiology of gaming disorder and its effect on anxiety and insomnia in Chinese ethnic minority adolescents

BACKGROUND

The growing popularity and frequency of online game use have resulted in a large number of studies reporting various mental problems associated with game abuse in adolescents. In this article, we examined the prevalence of gaming disorder (GD) and explored the associations of GD with anxiety and insomnia symptoms in minority youth in China.

METHODS

A total of 1494 students completed the Problematic Online Gaming Questionnaire Short-Form (POGQ-SF), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item questionnaire (GAD-7), and Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS). Chi-square and binary logistic regression analyses were used to explore the associations between gaming disorder and anxiety/insomnia.

RESULTS

A total of 356 (23.83%) respondents reported that they had gaming disorder. Chi-square analysis showed that gender, grade, marital status of parents and exercise situation were significantly associated with GD. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that those who had GD were at significantly higher risk for anxiety and insomnia than those without GD.

CONCLUSION

We found a high incidence of GD and a positive association among anxiety, insomnia and GD. Thus, special attention should be paid to those who have suffered from GD. It is worth addressing the adverse effects of GD on anxiety and insomnia.

Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on increasing the risks of children's addiction to electronic games from a social work perspective

Children are among the social groups most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic because they have found themselves forced to stay at home, far from their schoolmates, their friends, and far from all the activities they used to do before the pandemic. so, it was their only refuge for recreation during their stay in Home is staying in front of the screens of tablets, smartphones, and computers to play electronic games for long hours, and there is no doubt that the sudden shift in the lifestyle of children during the Covid-19 pandemic had serious consequences and risks threatening their stability at all levels. In light of that, the current study aimed to determine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on increasing the social, psychological, behavioral, and health risks of children's addiction to electronic games from a social work perspective. This study falls under the type of descriptive-analytical studies that are based on describing the reality of the problem under study. The study sample included 289 children in the age group 6-17 years in the first grade to the twelfth grade at school. The researcher designed a questionnaire that reflects the four risks facing children to assess these risks. The results showed is that the value of all impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the increasing risks of children's addiction to electronic games came to a total weight of (27907), weighted relative weight of (80.47%). This indication is High, indicating that the level of impact is High for the Covid-19 pandemic on the increase in all types of risks of children's addiction to electronic games. It ranked first " Behavioral Risks " at 91.15%, It is followed by the ranked second "Social risks " at 85.5%, Then came third place " Psychological Risks" at 80.91%, and in finally in fourth place " Health Risks" at 64.28%, which necessitates the need to take a set of serious measures by educating parents to monitor the content of electronic games that their children play, especially violent games, in addition to, reduce the number of hours the child spends practicing these games, and to encourage parents to form a bridge of communication and constructive dialogue between them and their children, and that parents put controls and restrictions on their children's practice of electronic games to confront abnormal behavioral, psychological and social patterns such as aggression, violence, deception, lying, imitation, vigilance, physical stress, poor eyesight, distance from practicing religious rituals, academic delay, introversion, depression, intolerance, selfishness, sadness, isolation from society, social withdrawal and lack of forming social relationships and lack of communication with others. The researcher took care that the results of the current study are very accurate and representative of the reality of the research problem, in light of the researcher's emphasis on the commitment to observe ethical rules to ensure the confidentiality of data. finally, the current study will greatly benefit researchers interested in the field of childhood and its problems and they will rely on its results and recommendations in how to protect children from the dangers of electronic game addiction in light of the Covid-19 crisis in particular.

Money used in gaming is associated with problem gambling: Results of the ESPAD 2019 Finland

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The convergence of gaming and gambling may pose a risk for adolescents. Thus, it is important to find out how these behaviours are associated with other addictive behaviours in order to develop efficient preventive measures for youth. The aim of this study was to examine 1) whether problematic gaming and money used for gaming activities are risk factors for gambling, and 2) what kind of impact adolescents' substance use along with other factors related to friends and parents have on this association.

METHODS

The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs data, 2019 of Finnish adolescents aged 15 to 16 (N = 4595). Cross-tabulations with Rao-Scott's chisquare tests were applied to study the associations of the background factors with gambling in the past 12 months. A multinomial logistic regression model was fitted for the outcome variable (gambling in the past 12 months) adjusted for all independent and background variables.

RESULTS

Problematic gaming alone was not associated with gambling participation, whereas using money for digital games increased the risk of gambling. Boys gamble more than girls. The use of alcohol and drugs increased the risk of gambling. Parental monitoring reduced the risk of gambling, whereas hanging around weekly with friends increased the risk.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Using money on gaming sites may put some adolescents at risk of developing problems with either gaming or gambling. The link between using money in digital games and gambling participation calls for preventive measures, intervention and regulatory acts.

Between two worlds: Exploring esports betting in relation to problem gambling, gaming, and mental health problems

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Esports betting is an emerging gambling activity where individuals place bets on an organized video gaming competition. It represents only one of several gambling activities commonly endorsed by adolescents. To date, limited research has explored the relationship between esports betting and mental health among adolescents and its convergence with both problem gambling (PG) and problem video gaming (PVG). The present study examined the relation between esports betting, PG and PVG, and both externalizing and internalizing problems among adolescents while accounting for adolescents' video gaming intensity (i.e., how often they play 2 h or more in a day) and engagement in other gambling activities.

METHODS

Data was collected from 6,810 adolescents in Wood County, Ohio schools. A subset of 1,348 adolescents (M age = 14.67 years, SD = 1.73, 64% male) who had gambled and played video games during the past year were included in the analyses.

RESULTS

Approximately 20% (n = 263) of the included sample had bet on esports during the past year. Esports betting was positively correlated with other forms of gambling, both PG and PVG, and externalizing behaviors. Mediation analyses revealed esports betting was associated to both internalizing and externalizing problems through PVG and not PG.

CONCLUSIONS

Esports betting may be particularly appealing to adolescents who are enthusiastic video gamers. As such, regulators must be vigilant to ensure codes of best practices are applied to esports betting operators specifically for underaged individuals.

Problematic Gaming and Sleep: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Problematic gaming has been linked to poor sleep outcomes; however, these associations have not yet been synthesized quantitatively. This review employed a meta-analysis to investigate the relationship between problematic gaming and sleep-related outcomes. A search of Medline, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar identified a total of 763 studies, including 34 studies (n = 51,901 participants) eligible for inclusion. Papers were included if available in any European language, addressed problematic gaming, contained original data, and provided sufficient data for calculation of effect sizes. Two researchers independently extracted data using pre-defined fields including quality assessment. Sleep-related outcomes were meta-analyzed for sleep parameters that were reported by 5 or more papers. Significant overall effects were found for sleep duration (g = -0.238, 95% CI = -0.364, -0.112), poor sleep quality (OR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.47, 2.78), daytime sleepiness (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.00, 2.46) and sleep problems (OR = 2.60, 95% CI = 1.94, 3.47). Between-study heterogeneity was detected for all meta-analyses. Subgroup analyses showed a higher inverse effect size for adolescent samples compared to adult or non-specific age samples in terms of sleep duration. For daytime sleepiness, a larger effect size was found for studies based on single-item sleep measures compared to multi-item sleep measures. For sleep problems, the subgroup analysis showed the opposite with a higher effect size for studies based on single-item sleep measures than multi-item sleep measures. Across all sleep parameters, problematic gamers consistently reported a more adverse sleep status than non-problematic gamers. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/; record ID: CRD42020158955.