Abstract
The addictive use of video games is recognized as a problem with clinical relevance and is included in international diagnostic manuals and classifications of diseases. The association between “Internet addiction” and mental health has been well documented across a range of investigations. However, a major drawback of these studies is that no controls have been placed on the type of Internet use investigated. The aim of this study is to review systematically the current literature in order to explore the association between Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and psychopathology. An electronic literature search was conducted using PubMed, PsychINFO, ScienceDirect, Web of Science and Google Scholar (r.n. CRD42018082398). The effect sizes for the observed correlations were identified or computed. Twenty-four articles met the eligibility criteria. The studies included comprised 21 cross-sectional and three prospective designs. Most of the research was conducted in Europe. The significant correlations reported comprised: 92% between IGD and anxiety, 89% with depression, 85% with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and 75% with social phobia/anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Most of the studies reported higher rates of IGD in males. The lack of longitudinal studies and the contradictory results obtained prevent detection of the directionality of the associations and, furthermore, show the complex relationship between both phenomena.
Highlights
The problematic use of video games is recognized by mental health professionals as an addictive behavior with clinical relevance
The inclusion criteria were: (i) the inclusion of empirically collected data; (ii) Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) assessed by standardized questionnaires or other proposed criteria based on international disease classifications; (iii) psychiatric comorbidity assessed by standardized questionnaires; (iv) availability of the full text; (v) published after the year 2010; (vi) written in English or in Spanish; and (vii) article published in a peer-reviewed journal
The present review included 24 studies analyzing the association between IGD and psychopathology
Summary
The problematic use of video games is recognized by mental health professionals as an addictive behavior with clinical relevance. This is due to the negative consequences it may have for affected people in several functional areas such as relationship conflicts, sleep problems or occupational functioning [1,2]. In the current literature, the terms “Internet addiction” (IA) and “pathological Internet use” (PIU) have commonly been used to refer to all sorts of activities including, but not limited to, the use of video games All these activities are derived from the excessive use of devices connected to the Internet (i.e., computers, smartphones and other devices to play on and navigate). Public Health 2018, 15, 668; doi:10.3390/ijerph15040668 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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