Pathological Video Game Use Research Articles

Assessing Autistic Traits, Hikikomori Tendencies, Pathological Videogaming, and Eating Disorders in University Students: Are Pathological Videogaming and Eating Disorders Gender-Specific Manifestations of the Autism Spectrum?

In the previous literature, specific attention has been paid to investigate autism spectrum symptoms and traits in university students. In this framework, we aimed to evaluate the presence and correlates of autistic traits, hikikomori tendencies, altered eating behaviors, and pathological videogaming in a sample of Italian university students enrolled in bachelor's degree courses. A total of 1192 students were recruited via an online survey and assessed with the Hikikomori Questionnaire-25, the Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum Questionnaire, the Eating Attitude test-26, and the Assessment of Internet and Computer Game Addiction. Our results highlighted significant differences in the prevalence of autistic traits, social withdrawal tendencies, altered eating habits, and pathological videogame use in university students based on gender, age, parents' level of instruction, and field of study. A significant effect of the presence of autistic traits and gender on the scores obtained with the other questionnaires was reported. Our results not only support the role of autistic traits as a vulnerability factor for the development of a set of psychopathological conditions but also suggest that gender could modulate this vulnerability, supporting the hypothesis of gender-specific phenotypes in the autism spectrum.

Could the Construct of Modern-Type Depression Predict Internet Gaming Disorder in Italian Video Gamers? A Case-Control Study.

A new postmodern depression type, named "Modern-Type Depression" (MTD), is emerging in Western countries. MTD is often underdiagnosed, mainly due to potentially higher comorbidity with technology-based addictions, including Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). However, the definition of the relationship between MTD and IGD is still controversial, as few data have been published thus far. In particular, there are no data specifically investigating the prevalence of MTD within Italian young subjects with IGD, as well as their mutual association. Hence, within the SWATCH (Social Withdrawal and TeCno-mediated mental Health issues) project, our study aimed to identify the prevalence of MTD in a sample of Italian young adults who play video games by providing a clinical characterization of MTD within a group of IGD individuals (IGD+) versus a group without IGD (IGD-) who play video games. Our cross-sectional case-control study recruited a sample of 543 Italian young video-gaming players (aged 18-35) from the larger SWATCH database, stratified as IGD+ versus IGD-. Subjects were administered the 22-item Tarumi's Modern-Type Depression Trait Scale (TACS-22), the Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire (MOGQ), and the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS9-SF). Around 21.7% of the total sample was represented by MTD individuals, while within the IGD sample, around 34% of subjects had MTD. Within the MTD group, significantly higher scores at IGDS-9SF (p < 0.001), MOGQ "Escape from reality" (p < 0.001), "Fantasy" (p < 0.001), and MOGQ total score (p = 0.003) were found compared to MTD-. According to the multivariate regression model, controlled for sex and age, higher scores in the TACS-22 were positively predicted by the total score of IGDS9-SF (p = 0.003), the MOGQ "Escape from Reality" subscale (p = 0.014), and MOGQ "Fantasy" (p = 0.011), and negatively predicted by the MOGQ "Competition" subscale (p = 0.035) [F (4538) = 17.265; p < 0.001]. Our findings suggested that MTD displays a strong association with IGD. Video-gaming players who do not have IGD appear to be less prone to MTD; this suggests that further studies could be carried out to specifically investigate whether pathological use of video games could also be determined by the presence of MTD.

Les joueurs de jeux video : Qui sont-ils ? Qui joue à quoi ? Quels sont les risques ?

IntroductionVideo-gaming has often been investigated during the past decades, especially pathological use of videogames. Yet, psychological studies investigating gamers’ characteristics and features of videogames are rare, especially in France. Would it not be relevant to better understand players and videogames in order to better understand results from the scientific literature? ObjectivesThe present study aims to answer the following questions: Who plays videogames? Who plays what? What are the risks? Method and resultsA questionnaire was distributed to 1600 participants aged 26,39±7,41 years. To investigate player characteristics depending on each type of videogame, we divided our sample into several groups including action-adventure gamers (N=826), simulation gamers (N=331), role and battle gamers (N=277) and strategy gamers (N=115). Questions were about sociodemographic characteristics, gaming habits and gaming disorder (Game Addiction Scale). Results pointed out that strategy gamers were mainly female and older with shorter gaming times. Moreover, they would be less subject to gaming disorder. In contrast, role and battle gamers, simulation gamers and action-adventure gamers were more apt to be male and younger with longer gaming times for the first type (i.e., role and battle games). The latter and action-adventure games were also more associated with gaming disorder. ConclusionThe present study has allowed us to clarify contradictory results from the scientific literature, and at the same time it gathered considerable relevant information about gamers’ characteristics, especially French gamers.

Investigating Adolescents' Video Gaming and Gambling Activities, and Their Relationship With Behavioral, Emotional, and Social Difficulties: Protocol for a Multi-Informant Study.

BackgroundGrowing empirical evidence suggests that adolescents have a relatively greater propensity to develop problematic video gaming or gambling habits.ObjectiveThe main objectives of this study are to estimate the prevalence of potential pathological gambling and video game use among adolescent students and to evaluate their risk factors.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional multi-informant study based on an online survey. It will include a sample of adolescents attending secondary schools located in Brescia, northern Italy, their schoolteachers, and parents. The survey includes extensive data on adolescents’ (1) demographic, social, economic, and environmental characteristics; (2) behavioral, emotional, and social problems and adaptive functioning; (3) emotional and social loneliness; (4) perception of the reasons to use social networks; (5) video game habits and pathological use of video gaming; and (6) gambling behaviors.ResultsThis protocol was approved by the Institutional Ethics Board of the Spedali Civili of Brescia (Italy). We expect to collect data from 793 or more adolescent students, as determined by our sample size calculation.ConclusionsThis multisite project will make a substantial contribution to (1) the implementation of a system for identifying pathological gambling and pathological video game use among adolescents, allowing for interventions aimed at improving adolescents’ financial, emotional, and social well-being; and (2) the identification of distinct profiles of gamblers and pathological video gamers that will contribute to setting up effective targeted prevention measures. Understanding the causes and impact of gambling and pathological video gaming on adolescents is a public health issue.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/33376

Action Video Gaming Experience is Related to Emotional Perception Skills

Video gaming is one of the main recreational activities of children and adolescents. The American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organization recently proposed diagnostic criteria for a pathological use of video games. The objective is to explore the perceptions of adolescents concerning pathological video game use.Qualitative study by semi structured individual interviews in the homes of adolescent gamers and non-gamers living in France. The sampling was theoretical. The analysis followed an inductive approach following the phases of thematic analysis. The researchers used triangulation. Collection was concluded when theoretical saturation had been reached.Seventeen adolescents aged 10–18 were interviewed between April 2018 and March 2019. The adolescents recognised that video games use can be pathological. Deleterious consequences to physical, mental, and social wellbeing associated with gaming were discussed. Mental health, family and social environments, and the type of game seemed to influence the transition from recreational to pathological video-game use. The adolescents agreed on the need to regulate their gaming, particularly through parental control and self-control.Risks and protective factors related to the types of video game, the adolescent, and the environment were identified. Parental support would help lower the risk of pathological gaming.

Perceptions of adolescents concerning pathological video games use: A qualitative study

PurposeVideo gaming is one of the main recreational activities of children and adolescents. The American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organization recently proposed diagnostic criteria for a pathological use of video games. The objective is to explore the perceptions of adolescents concerning pathological video game use. MethodsQualitative study by semi structured individual interviews in the homes of adolescent gamers and non-gamers living in France. The sampling was theoretical. The analysis followed an inductive approach following the phases of thematic analysis. The researchers used triangulation. Collection was concluded when theoretical saturation had been reached. ResultsSeventeen adolescents aged 10–18 were interviewed between April 2018 and March 2019. The adolescents recognised that video games use can be pathological. Deleterious consequences to physical, mental, and social wellbeing associated with gaming were discussed. Mental health, family and social environments, and the type of game seemed to influence the transition from recreational to pathological video-game use. The adolescents agreed on the need to regulate their gaming, particularly through parental control and self-control. ConclusionsRisks and protective factors related to the types of video game, the adolescent, and the environment were identified. Parental support would help lower the risk of pathological gaming.

Gaming addiction, problematic gaming and engaged gaming – Prevalence and associated characteristics

IntroductionGaming disorder was included in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD 11) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) included Internet Gaming Disorder as a tentative diagnosis. Most scholars agree upon the potential risk for pathological use of video games. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of engaged gamers, problem gamers and addicted gamers. The secondary aim was to describe these groups in terms of gender, age, social satisfaction, psychological wellbeing and hours spent chatting on internet/social media. MethodsWe used survey-based data for this population-based research. The data was collected online in two different settings in 2017. In total 2075 participants were included. Results4.5 percent met the criteria for highly engaged gaming, 5.3 percent were shown to be problem gamers and 1.2 percent met the cut off for game addiction. Young age, hours chatting on internet/social media, experiencing loneliness and considering seeking treatment for psychological distress were associated with both engaged, problematic and addictive gaming. Male gender was associated to problematic and addictive gaming. Hours spent chatting showed a greater correlation to problem/addictive gaming than to engaged gaming. ConclusionThe results of this study indicate that both highly engaged gamers, problem gamers and addicted gamers all experience loneliness and psychological distress to a greater extent than the remaining study participants. This adds to the knowledge of prevalence and features of gaming disorder. Additionally, preferably longitudinal research is needed in order to understand causality.

The Influence of Parenting Style and Time Management Tendency on Internet Gaming Disorder among Adolescents.

The problem of adolescent online gaming addiction is related to individual-level characteristics and the influence of the family environment. The present study explores the potential role of adolescents’ time management tendency in mediating the relationship between parenting style and adolescent internet gaming disorder (IGD). Responses from a total of 357 Chinese high school students were collected for a Pathological Video-Game Use Questionnaire, Simplified Parenting Styles Scale, and Time Management Tendency Scale. Overall, participants reported moderate use of online games (Mean = 1.41; SD = 0.41), lower than the median value of 2 on a three-point scale. In terms of the mediating role of adolescents’ time management tendency, full meditation was observed for the relationship between the parenting style factor of “parents’ emotional warmth” for both mothers and fathers and internet gaming disorder. The results highlight the benefits of emotional warmth in supporting self-efficacy, self-control, and autonomy through the promotion of time management, which is an important protective factor for IGD and can serve as a mediating personality variable. Although non-significant in the complete model, over-protection and rejection by parents should also be cautiously considered as potential risk factors related to addiction.

Parenting paused: Pathological video game use and parenting outcomes

For most people, playing video games is a normal recreational activity, with little disruption to gamers’ emotional, social, or physical health and well-being. However, for a small percentage of gamers, video gaming can become pathological (Fam, 2018). Substantial research has examined pathological gaming in teens and young adults (Cheng, Cheung, & Wang, 2018; Choo, Gentile, Sim, Khoo, & Liau, 2010), yet pathological gaming in adults (c.f. Holgren, 2017), especially in the context of parenthood, has been relatively ignored. The current study sought to address this limitation by studying associations between pathological gaming characteristics and parenting outcomes in a sample of men and women who have had a child in the last year. Fathers spent more time than mothers playing video games and displayed more pathological video gaming tendencies. Pathological gaming for mothers and fathers was related to increased depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms mediated the relationship between pathological gaming and decreased feelings of parental efficacy, perceived parental competence, increased parenting stress, and increased perceived impact of parenting. Pathological video game playing was also directly related to decreased feelings of parental efficacy for mothers and fathers. Implications of the results and directions for future research are discussed.

Assessing Video Game Habits and Pathological Behaviour in Children through a New Scale: Psychometric Properties of the Video-Gaming Scale—For Children (VGS-C)

The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to assess video-gaming habits and pathological behavior in children. The Video Game Scale—For Children (VGS-C) was developed by adapting the VGS—For Adolescents (VGS-A). The final scale was composed of two sections: Section A, with unscored items, assessing a wide series of video-gaming habits, and Section B, with scored items, measuring pathological use of video games by adapting the DSM—5 criteria for Internet Gaming Disorder. Participants were 201 children attending primary school in Italy (47% males; mean age = 8.7 years). Concerning Section A, preferred video games, daily frequency of video-gaming, used devices, amount of time spent on video game sessions, gaming on Internet, preferred online video games, and social partners in playing video games, were analyzed. Regarding Section B, Confirmatory Factor Analysis attested the hypothesized one-factor structure, and an adequate reliability was found. The association of video-gaming habits with pathological video-gaming attested the validity of the scale. Tolerance and escape were the pathological symptoms more frequently experienced by children. Findings suggest that the VGS-C could be a valuable instrument to assess video-gaming habits and pathological behavior in children.

An Explanatory Model for the Relationship between Motivation in Sport, Victimization, and Video Game Use in Schoolchildren.

(1) Background: Society is changing amazingly fast, and this is bringing about changes in the way that people spend their free time. In the 21st century, free time is increasingly spent using technological devices such as video games, thus increasing levels of sedentariness. The aim of the present study was to define an explanatory model for the problematic use of video games, physical activity, motivational climate in sports, and victimization in schoolchildren, and to analyze the relationships between these variables according to gender; (2) Methods: A total of 734 schoolchildren, of both sexes, participated in this research study. They were aged from 10 to 12 and lived in the province of Granada (Spain). The main instruments used were the questionnaires PMCSQ-2, PAQ-C, QERV, and SVS. A multigroup structural equation model was used, which had an excellent fit (χ2 = 319.472; df = 72; p < 0.001; CFI = 0.962; NFI = 0.952; IFI = 0.962; RMSEA = 0.048); (3) Results: The practice of physical activity was related negatively and indirectly to the problematic use of video games ((r = −0.085, boys); (r = −0.081, girls)), and this in turn was related positively and directly to victimization ((r = 0.094, boys); (r = 0.174, girls)). Additionally, task climate was inversely related to the problematic use of video games for girls (r = −0.133), and ego climate was directly related to the use of these devices only with regard to boys (r = 0.250). (4) Conclusions: It must be noted that schoolchildren’s pathological use of video games is closely related to lower levels of physical activity. In addition, those motivational climates in sports that are oriented towards performance exacerbate this pathological behavior, which accentuates the importance of promoting motivational climates that are oriented towards tasks in schoolchildren.

On media violence and aggression.

On media violence and aggression.

Game type as a moderator of the relationship between pathological video game use, impulsivity, aggression, and general psychopathology

Game type as a moderator of the relationship between pathological video game use, impulsivity, aggression, and general psychopathology

Testing the Predictive Validity and Construct of Pathological Video Game Use.

Three studies assessed the construct of pathological video game use and tested its predictive validity. Replicating previous research, Study 1 produced evidence of convergent validity in 8th and 9th graders (N = 607) classified as pathological gamers. Study 2 replicated and extended the findings of Study 1 with college undergraduates (N = 504). Predictive validity was established in Study 3 by measuring cue reactivity to video games in college undergraduates (N = 254), such that pathological gamers were more emotionally reactive to and provided higher subjective appraisals of video games than non-pathological gamers and non-gamers. The three studies converged to show that pathological video game use seems similar to other addictions in its patterns of correlations with other constructs. Conceptual and definitional aspects of Internet Gaming Disorder are discussed.

Pathological Video Game Use among Young Swiss Men: The Use of Monothetic and Polythetic Formats to Distinguish Between Pathological, Excessive and Normal Gaming

Pathological Video Game Use among Young Swiss Men: The Use of Monothetic and Polythetic Formats to Distinguish Between Pathological, Excessive and Normal Gaming There is no agreement about the distinction between pathological, excessive and normal gaming. The present study compared two classifications for defining pathological gaming: the polythetic format (gamers who met at least half of the criteria) and monothetic format (gamers who met all criteria). Associations with mental, health and social issues were examined to assess differences between subgroups of gamers. A representative sample of 5,663 young Swiss men filled in a questionnaire as part of the ongoing Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors (C-SURF). Game use was assessed with the Game Addiction Scale. Mental, social and physical factors (depression, anxiety, aggressiveness, physical and mental health, social and health consequences), gambling and substance use (illicit drug use, alcohol dependence and problematic cannabis use) were also assessed. The results indicated that monothetic gamers shared problems with polythetic gamers, but were even more inclined to mental health issues (depression, anxiety, and aggressiveness) and were more vulnerable to other dependencies like substance use, alcohol dependence or gambling. A second analysis using Latent Class Analysis confirmed the distinction between monothetic and polythetic gamers. These findings support the use of a monothetic format to diagnose pathological gaming and to differentiate it from excessive gaming.

What would my avatar do? Gaming, pathology, and risky decision making

Recent work has revealed a relationship between pathological video game use and increased impulsivity among children and adolescents. A few studies have also demonstrated increased risk-taking outside of the video game environment following game play, but this work has largely focused on one genre of video games (i.e., racing). Motivated by these findings, the aim of the current study was to examine the relationship between pathological and non-pathological video game use, impulsivity, and risky decision making. The current study also investigated the relationship between experience with two of the most popular genres of video games [i.e., first-person shooter (FPS) and strategy] and risky decision making. Consistent with previous work, ~7% of the current sample of college-aged adults met criteria for pathological video game use. The number of hours spent gaming per week was associated with increased impulsivity on a self-report measure and on the temporal discounting (TD) task. This relationship was sensitive to the genre of video game; specifically, experience with FPS games was positively correlated with impulsivity, while experience with strategy games was negatively correlated with impulsivity. Hours per week and pathological symptoms predicted greater risk-taking in the risk task and the Iowa Gambling task, accompanied by worse overall performance, indicating that even when risky choices did not pay off, individuals who spent more time gaming and endorsed more symptoms of pathological gaming continued to make these choices. Based on these data, we suggest that the presence of pathological symptoms and the genre of video game (e.g., FPS, strategy) may be important factors in determining how the amount of game experience relates to impulsivity and risky-decision making.

Individual differences in motives, preferences, and pathology in video games: the gaming attitudes, motives, and experiences scales (GAMES)

A new measure of individual habits and preferences in video game use is developed in order to better study the risk factors of pathological game use (i.e., excessively frequent or prolonged use, sometimes called “game addiction”). This measure was distributed to internet message boards for game enthusiasts and to college undergraduates. An exploratory factor analysis identified 9 factors: Story, Violent Catharsis, Violent Reward, Social Interaction, Escapism, Loss-Sensitivity, Customization, Grinding, and Autonomy. These factors demonstrated excellent fit in a subsequent confirmatory factor analysis, and, importantly, were found to reliably discriminate between inter-individual game preferences (e.g., Super Mario Brothers as compared to Call of Duty). Moreover, three factors were significantly related to pathological game use: the use of games to escape daily life, the use of games as a social outlet, and positive attitudes toward the steady accumulation of in-game rewards. The current research identifies individual preferences and motives relevant to understanding video game players' evaluations of different games and risk factors for pathological video game use.

Oorzaken en gevolgen van gameverslaving onder adolescenten

Causes and consequences of pathological gaming among adolescents Causes and consequences of pathological gaming among adolescents Pathological use of video games has been associated with indicators of psychosocial well-being, such as loneliness, low self-esteem, low social competence low life satisfaction, and high aggression. However, few studies have decisively demonstrated whether these indicators of psychosocial well-being are causes or consequences of pathological gaming. To address this gap in the literature, we conducted a two-wave panel study among 851 Dutch adolescents (543 gamers). Causal relations were analyzed using autoregressive structural equation models. These analyses indicated that social competence, self-esteem, and loneliness were significant predictors of pathological gaming six months later. Our analyses further indicated that increased loneliness and aggressive behavior were also consequences of pathological gaming. These results suggest that displacement of real-world social interaction resulting from pathological use of video games is likely to deteriorate existing relationships. This, in turn, decreases their psychosocial well-being.

Psychosocial causes and consequences of pathological gaming

Pathological use of computer and video games has been associated with indicators of psychosocial well-being, such as loneliness, low self-esteem, low social competence, and low life satisfaction. However, few studies have decisively demonstrated whether these indicators of psychosocial well-being are causes or consequences of pathological gaming. To address this gap in the literature, we conducted a two-wave panel study among 851 Dutch adolescents (543 gamers). Causal relations were analyzed using autoregressive structural equation models. These analyses indicated that social competence, self-esteem, and loneliness were significant predictors of pathological gaming six months later. Thus, lower psychosocial well-being can be considered an antecedent of pathological gaming among adolescent gamers. Our analyses further indicated that loneliness was also a consequence of pathological gaming. This suggests that displacement of real-world social interaction resulting from pathological use of video games may deteriorate existing relationships, which could explain the increase in adolescent gamers’ feelings of loneliness.

Pathological Preoccupation with Video Games

Controversy continues concerning the harmfulness of video game use by children. The author encountered clearly pathological preoccupation with video games in a preadolescent. The child had stolen, forged checks, and skipped school to continue using video games. He and his mother were physically abused by his father. Placement of the child in a residential treatment center with martial and family therapy resulted in resolution of the patient's pathological use of video games.