Abstract
BackgroundSchool closures during the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated students’ loneliness, addictive gaming behaviors, and poor mental health. These mental health issues confronting young people are of public concern.ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine the associations between loneliness and gaming addiction behaviors among young people in Hong Kong and to investigate how familial factors, psychological distress, and gender differences moderate these relationships.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2020 when schools reopened after 6 months of school closures. Participants included 2863 children and adolescents in primary (Grades 4 to 6) and secondary (Grades 7 and 8) schools (female participants: 1502/2863, 52.5%). Chi-square tests, one-way analyses of variance, and independent-samples t tests were performed to compare the differences of distribution in gaming addiction behaviors across gender, age, and other sociodemographic characteristics. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors that relate to excessive or pathological gaming behaviors separately, in comparison with leisure gaming.ResultsA total of 83.0% (2377/2863) of the participants played video games during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prevalence of excessive and pathological game addiction behaviors was 20.9% (597/2863) and 5.3% (153/2863), respectively. More male students had gaming addiction symptoms than female students. The multinomial logistic regressions showed that feeling lonely was associated with more problematic gaming behaviors, and the association was stronger for older female students. Low socioeconomic status, less parental support and less supervision, and poor mental health were risk factors for gaming addiction behaviors, especially among primary school students.ConclusionsLoneliness was associated with gaming addiction behaviors; the findings from this study suggested that this association was similar across gender and age groups among young people. Familial support and supervision during school closures can protect young people from developing problematic gaming behaviors. Results of this study have implications for prevention and early intervention on behalf of policy makers and game developers.
Highlights
It is estimated that over 80% of adolescents play video games [1,2]
The prevalence of gaming disorders among adolescents is estimated to be between 1.3% and 19.9% [3], with 8.1% to 10.6% of them involved in excessive gaming and 2.3% to 2.7% involved in pathological gaming [4,5]
This study aims to examine the prevalence of gaming behaviors during the school closure period in Hong Kong and identify factors that contribute to the association between gaming behaviors and loneliness among young people
Summary
It is estimated that over 80% of adolescents play video games [1,2]. The prevalence of gaming disorders among adolescents is estimated to be between 1.3% and 19.9% [3], with 8.1% to 10.6% of them involved in excessive gaming and 2.3% to 2.7% involved in pathological gaming [4,5]. As young people stay at home longer during school closures caused by COVID-19, family structure, socioeconomic status (SES) [25-28], and parenting characteristics (ie, parental support and supervision) [29,30] play a strong role in the impact of gaming behaviors on young people’s well-being and development. It is clear from the above literature that the association between gaming disorders and a sense of loneliness among young people remains uncertain. School closures during the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated students’ loneliness, addictive gaming behaviors, and poor mental health These mental health issues confronting young people are of public concern. Results of this study have implications for prevention and early intervention on behalf of policy makers and game developers
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