Gaming disorder as a consequence of attempt at self- medication: Empirical support to the hypothesis

Problematic gaming, problem gambling: co-occurrence and association with depression and generalised anxiety disorder among working-age adults in Latvia

AIMS

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of problematic gaming and gambling and the co-occurrence of these behaviours in association with depression and generalised anxiety disorder in a representative general working-age adult population in Latvia.

METHODS

Data from a survey of 4,912 respondents aged 15-64 in the general population of Latvia were studied. The Game Addiction Scale, the Problem Gambling Severity Index, and the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales were used to obtain self-reported data for the target study variables. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression models assess the prevalence of the variables and estimate the odds ratios for depression and generalised anxiety disorder.

RESULTS

By adjusting for age, sex, and income level, both problematic gaming and gambling significantly increased the odds of depression and anxiety by an average of three times. The prevalence of the co-occurrence of problematic gaming and gambling was 0.8%, and it did not elevate the odds of depression and anxiety compared to having either problematic gaming or gambling alone, which maintains the overall threefold increase of both depression and anxiety (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In the general adult population, the presence of problematic gaming and gambling indicates a higher likelihood for the individual burden of mental health problems due to the co-existence of depression or anxiety. Thus, the complexity of problematic gaming and gambling has to be taken into account when planning and implementing effective mental health interventions.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy-Game: An Ironic Way to Treat Internet Gaming Disorder

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) affects 3% of the global population and poses an increasing risk due to advancements in technology. However, there is currently no definitive treatment for this condition. IGD is not a primary disorder but rather a result of "self-prescription" in response to emotional stressors. Unlike conventional mental health treatments that focus on the disorder itself, it is crucial to provide alternative activities that can alleviate negative emotions. This paper extends the concept of the self-medication hypothesis and integrates it with cognitive models of cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. In addition, it introduces the mindfulness-based cognitive therapy-game (MBCT-G), a program designed to explore alternative activities through gaming, focusing on the processes of response and reward, which are not typically emphasized in traditional treatments. This study serves as the theoretical foundation for the development of MBCT-G. MBCT-G aims to train individuals in positive coping strategies that alleviate psychological distress, offering a novel approach to treating self-prescription disorders such as IGD.

The co-occurrence between symptoms of internet gaming disorder, depression, and anxiety in middle and late adolescence: A cross-lagged panel network analysis

Although there is a growing awareness of the co-occurrence of internet gaming disorder (IGD) with other mental health problems, the specific patterns of how these symptoms interact over time, especially across different age groups, remain unclear. The current study utilizes cross-lagged panel network modeling (CLPN) to investigate the dynamic, longitudinal relationships among symptoms of IGD, depression and anxiety among adolescents across time, and how these connections change with different developmental stages. A total of 3296 middle and late adolescents who have finished 3-time points research were included in the present study. Significant differences were found between middle and late adolescents in the structures and strengths of the contemporaneous and longitudinal networks. For middle adolescents, symptoms tended to predict subsequent symptoms within the same disorder. However, late adolescents showed a stronger trend of symptoms being interconnected across comorbid conditions. Feelings of worthlessness & hopelessness were the most impactful symptoms for middle adolescents in the short term and they continued to significantly affect late adolescents in the long term. In addition, restless and suicide or self-harm were the most important bridge symptoms for middle and late adolescents, respectively. This study emphasizes the importance of developing targeted intervention strategies focusing on both central and bridging symptoms of the comorbid conditions of IGD, depression, and anxiety in adolescence. Recognizing distinct adolescents' needs, interventions should be tailored to effectively address the unique challenges at different developmental stages.

More grateful, less addicted! Understanding how gratitude affects online gaming addiction among Chinese college students: a three-wave multiple mediation model

BACKGROUND

Online game addiction has become a prominent public concern, particularly among emerging adults, warranting in-depth investigation. Despite prior cross-sectional research indicating a negative correlation between gratitude and online gaming addiction, a dearth of longitudinal research exists in this area. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms that explain the link between gratitude and online gaming addiction remain poorly understood, highlighting a critical research gap in the field.

METHODS

To bridge this gap, our study adopted a three-wave longitudinal design and constructed a multiple mediation model. Over the course of one year, data was collected from a sample of Chinese undergraduates, with 319 students participating at Time 1, 305 at Time 2, and 292 at Time 3. Participants were administered online self-report surveys, enabling the acquisition of valuable data regarding their levels of gratitude, online game addiction, self-control, and loneliness.

RESULTS

The findings revealed a negative correlation between gratitude measured at Time 1 and online game addiction assessed at Time 3. Further analysis demonstrated that both self-control and loneliness played multiple mediating roles at Time 2 in the link between gratitude and online game addiction.

CONCLUSION

These research findings shed light on the underlying mechanisms between gratitude and online game addiction, which provide implications for developing interventions (e.g., interventions based on gratitude) for reducing young adults' online game addiction.

Gaming motivations and gaming disorder symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize the available literature on the relationship between gaming motivations and gaming disorder symptoms. Specifically, to (1) explore what gaming motivation questionnaires and classifications are used in studies on gaming disorder symptoms and (2) investigate the relationship between motivational factors and symptoms of gaming disorder.

METHOD

An electronic database search was conducted via EBSCO (MEDLINE and PsycINFO) and the Web of Science Core Collection. All studies using validated measurements on gaming disorder symptoms and gaming motivations and available correlation coefficients of the relationship between gaming disorder and gaming motivations were included. The meta-analyses were conducted using a random-effects model.

RESULTS

In total, 49 studies (k = 58 independent sub-samples), including 51,440 participants, out of which 46 studies (k = 55 sub-samples, n = 49,192 participants) provided data for the meta-analysis. The synthesis identified fourteen different gaming motivation instruments, seven unique motivation models, and 26 motivational factors. The meta-analysis showed statistically significant associations between gaming disorder symptoms and 23 out of 26 motivational factors, with the majority of the pooled mean effect sizes ranging from small to moderate. Moreover, large heterogeneity was observed, and the calculated prediction intervals indicated substantial variation in effects across populations and settings. Motivations related to emotional escape were robustly associated with gaming disorder symptoms.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

The present meta-analysis reinforces the importance of motivational factors in understanding problematic gaming behavior. The analysis showed significant heterogeneity in most outcomes, warranting further investigation.

REGISTRATION DETAIL

PROSPERO (CRD42020220050).

Psychopathological Symptoms and Gaming Motives in Disordered Gaming-A Psychometric Comparison between the WHO and APA Diagnostic Frameworks

BACKGROUND

'Gaming Disorder' (GD) has received increased medical attention and official recognition from both the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Although these two medical organizations have independently developed promising clinical diagnostic frameworks to assess disordered gaming, little is known about how these frameworks compare at different psychometric levels in terms of producing consistent outcomes in the assessment of GD.

METHODS

A sample of 1429 German gamers (Meanage = 29.74 years; SD = 12.37 years) completed an online survey including measures on different psychopathological symptoms (depression, loneliness and attention problems), gaming motives and disordered gaming according to the WHO and APA frameworks.

RESULTS

The findings suggest the existence of minor discrepancies in the estimation of prevalence rates of GD according among the two frameworks. Nevertheless, both diagnostic frameworks are fairly consistent in the psychometric prediction of GD in relation to gaming motives and psychopathological symptoms. The findings underscore the role of key gaming motives as risk factors and protective factors across both diagnostic frameworks. Finally, the study provides support for the WHO diagnostic framework for GD and its measurement with the German Gaming Disorder Test (GDT). The findings and their implications are further discussed in terms of clinical relevance.

Gaming disorder among medical college students from India: Exploring the pattern and correlates

BACKGROUND

In the extant literature, apart from few published case reports describing patients with severe form of gaming disorder (GD), there is a lack of studies describing the pattern and correlates of GD existing in the Indian settings. Thus, the present study aimed to explore the extent and pattern of gaming behavior in a sample of medical college students from India and explore its association with the sociodemographic, psychological (depressive symptoms), and Internet gaming characteristics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This Internet-based cross-sectional study was conducted as an online survey among 306 medical students by the Behavioral Addictions Clinic at a tertiary care teaching college in India. The severity of problematic gaming behavior and depressive symptoms was assessed using the Internet GD Scale-Short Form (IGDS9-SF) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information regarding sociodemographic and Internet gaming characteristics of the participants. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software version 21.0, with two-tailed P < 0.05 taken as significant and P < 0.01 as highly significant results.

RESULTS

We identified 173 (55.6%) current gamers, with 11 (3.6%) Internet GD gamers based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders -5 criteria in the current study sample. A preference for multiplayer online gaming pattern (β =0.17, P = 0.005), spending greater amount of time in playing digital games (β = 0.53, P < 0.01), and higher PHQ-9 scores (β =0.25, P < 0.01**) representing greater depressive symptom severity were associated with statistically significantly greater scores on the IGDS9-SF, indicative of a higher risk for having GD.

CONCLUSIONS

GD is a cause of concern among medical students in India. There is an urgent need to create awareness about it among students and concerned authorities. Further, there is a need to develop effective screening and treatment strategies suited for our population. The risk factors identified in the current study can be utilized to screen those at high risk of developing the same.