Abstract
Gaming disorder (GD) has gained tremendous attention in the past 2 decades. Although the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases accepted GD as a formal diagnosis in 2018, debate continues about whether this condition constitutes an independent psychiatric disorder. Many scholars observed that we lack reliable information regarding the natural history of GD. Quantitative studies have identified many risk factors related to GD, but those risk factors were rarely connected, provided with context, or mapped into a coherent big picture to explain GDâs pathway and development process. This qualitative study aims to fill the gap by clarifying GDâs course of development in 15 patients. To do so, it adopts a qualitative, longitudinal, and retrospective approach that is based on the life histories and narratives of individuals with GD. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 young adult participants who were attending a residential, outpatient program specializing in GD treatment. Each interview lasted approximately 2.5 hr and was audio-recorded with the participantâs permission and informed consent. Four categories of research questions that targeted participantsâ life storiesâspecifically how gaming addiction entered and manifested in their livesâguided the interviews and generated follow-up questions during each interview, using a theoretical sampling strategy. Recordings were transcribed, then subthemes and themes were identified, constructed, and organized based on a grounded theory, thematic analysis method. Results revealed 12 subthemes, which can be sequentially and suitably placed into three developmental stages. These stages provide a clearer understanding of how gaming behaviors progress from normal into pathological. Implications for prevention and treatment are discussed.
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