Problematic Video Game Research Articles

Dissociation in Problematic Gaming: a Systematic Review

The present article consists of a systematic review of recent (2007–2018) empirical studies addressing the relationship between problematic gaming and dissociation. Nineteen peer-reviewed empirical studies that examined the relationship between problematic gaming and dissociation were identified. The findings suggest that excessive video game use is linked to a variety of dissociative phenomena (e.g. depersonalisation experiences, escapism, psychotic-like experiences, game transfer phenomena). Dissociative experiences are associated with problematic gaming. The findings support the hypothesis that problematic video game use can represent a maladaptive coping strategy on which people can rely to escape from disturbing mental states, adverse emotions or real-life problems. In these circumstances, dissociative symptoms might represent the side effects of an alteration in consciousness that is generated by excessive video game use. However, further research (especially experimental and longitudinal) is required in order to establish a potential causal link between problematic gaming patterns and dissociation.

Eating Habits and Lifestyles in Schoolchildren from Granada (Spain). A Pilot Study

The creation of healthy habits and lifestyles is fundamental in the educational field and for acquiring adequate health levels that will prevail in adulthood. The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics and correlations between the level of practice of physical activity, adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD), body mass index (BMI) and problematic use of videogames and self-concept of primary education students. This non-experimental, cross-sectional study is composed of a sample of 577 students aged 10-12 years (11.1 ± 0.638). Subjects were evaluated using the Mediterranean Diet Adherence questionnaire (KIDMED), Self-Concept Form-5 (AF-5), Experiences Related to Videogames (QERV) and anthropometric measurements were taken following the guidelines of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry. Most students have been found to be of normal weight, although one in five has problems with being overweight or experiencing obesity. Likewise, half of them need to improve their adherence to the Mediterranean diet, while they do not have a problematic use of videogames, although one tenth of them in these early ages offer severe problems and it is highlighted that students offer an adequate self-concept. It is also noted that BMI correlates positively with problematic videogame use and social self-concept. Greater addiction to videogames is associated with poorer academic performance, low levels of physical activity and poor adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Finally, it should be noted that the continued practice of physical-sports activity favors emotional competence and academic performance.

Can a Behavior Be Addictive? How Can the Field of Substance Use Inform Treatment of Problematic Video Gaming and Internet Use?

Can a Behavior Be Addictive? How Can the Field of Substance Use Inform Treatment of Problematic Video Gaming and Internet Use?

Time to call for a global public health approach in prevention of the onset and progression of problematic gaming.

Problematic video gaming is a global problem. Policy and programs responses to the problem vary among countries, partly due to cultural differences in the east and the west, meaning that caution is needed in drawing comparisons. Promoting parental education and positive youth development would be a useful approach to curb problematic behavior among children and adolescents. We suggest using a public health approach, based on our experience in dealing with commodities, which are harmful to health.

Career Counseling Interventions for Video Game Players

Video games are becoming ubiquitous in Western societies. However, this virtual leisure has received little attention from researchers in career counseling, leaving career counselors relatively unprepared to work with video game players. In this article, we propose three types of interventions to capitalize on the benefits of playing video games to foster the career counseling process. The first intervention aims to identify and transfer the skills that video game players develop through their leisure activity. The second intervention highlights how video game players’ narrative may reveal vocational personality types. The third intervention proposes to turn career counseling tasks into a game to increase motivation to achieve it. The strengths and limitations of these interventions are underlined, as well as the potential of career counseling sessions to help remedy problematic video game play.

Problematic Video Gaming and Problematic Internet Use Among Polish Young Adults.

Technological advancements, on the one hand, facilitate everyday activities and, on the other hand, may lead to problematic behavior. These include problematic video gaming (PVG) and problematic Internet use. The purpose of this article is to present the specificity of these behavioral addictions in a group of Polish young adults and to determine their predictors and interrelatedness. The study involved a group of 1,493 young adults, aged from 18 to 30. The intensity of problematic Internet use was measured with the Problematic Internet Use Test (the Polish version of Internet Addiction Test developed by Kimberly Young), and intensity of PVG was measured with the Problem Video Game Playing Questionnaire. Based on the results, it can be shown that in the group of Polish young adults participating in the study, 0.3 percent of the individuals present very high problematic Internet use. On the contrary, 3.6 percent of the gamers show signs of PVG. Furthermore, analysis of structural equations showed that only the model assuming a correlation between the two types of behavioral addiction correctly fits the data set. Based on the developed model, it was established that the duration of social network usage is probably a predictor of problematic Internet use, while predictors of PVG include the amount of time dedicated to playing video games as well as engagement in action games. The present findings enable better understanding of the relationship between PVG and problematic Internet use among young adults. They also support other studies which suggest that, despite similarities between them, various types of behavioral addictions may be predicted by different factors.

Exploring the pull and push underlying problem video game use: A Self-Determination Theory approach

Research has revealed that the push to engage in video games is in part the perception that they satisfy three basic psychological needs (competence, autonomy, relatedness). However, the pull toward a problematic style of video game engagement based on Internet Gaming Disorder symptomatology has been found to be explained in part by the daily frustration of these same needs. Currently, these two areas of gaming research have been conducted within separate studies. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to bridge these two theoretically compatible areas of research in exploring the interaction between gaming need satisfaction and daily need frustration in explaining problem video game use and gaming frequency. An online sample of 922 adults (59.1% males; Mage = 23.53 years; SD = 6.84) were recruited. Results revealed both gaming need satisfaction and daily need frustration positively contributed to gaming frequency and problem video game use accounting for 19.7% and 23.5% of their respective variances. Furthermore, gaming frequency and problem video game use were highest when both gaming need satisfaction and daily need frustration were high. The implications of these results are discussed within the context of current research and strengths-based clinical approaches.

Thinking more broadly about policy responses to problematic video game use: A response to Király etal. (2018).

Király et al. (2018) did an excellent job of reviewing policies that are undertaken to prevent and respond to problematic video game use. I argue that there has been a failure of imagination when considering public policy – generally, we only think of governmental or legislative policies. This paper identifies several other ways we could consider public policy, providing examples of some that have already been enacted and suggesting others that could be, all without governmental intervention. These types of policies may not only be more practical, but also be more effective.

Playing the wrong game again? Policy responses to problematic video gaming in Brazil.

Brazil is the leading game market in South America and the second leading market in Latin America. Worldwide, Brazil ranks fourth in number of gamers, with nearly 66.3 million gamers. In the last years, there has been a significant and progressive concern about the negative consequences of video gaming overuse, but no population-based study has estimated the prevalence of problematic gaming in Brazil. There is also no public policy aimed at reducing risk and harm of problematic gaming. Drawing a parallel between gaming and alcohol policies, we discuss some alternatives to address this challenging situation.

Pattern of video game use in children with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder and typical development.

Video game playing is a favorite leisure activity among children worldwide. Individuals with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often lack self-control, making them at risk for substance abuse and game addiction. There are conflicting results, however, between studies on the pattern of video gaming and game addiction between those with ADHD and healthy controls. We therefore compared the pattern of video game use and game addiction between Thai children with ADHD and healthy controls. A total of 80 participants with ADHD (median age, 9.5years) and 102 controls (median age, 10years) were recruited in this study. ADHD was diagnosed by a developmental pediatrician. Each control subject's teacher completed the ADHD questionnaire to ensure that they did not have the diagnosis of ADHD. Pattern of video game use and Game Addiction Screening Test (GAST) were completed by participants' parents. More than half of the children with and without ADHD spent >2h/day playing video games rather than engaging in other age-appropriate leisure activities, particularly on weekends. Participants with ADHD, however, had a higher rate of compulsive video game use than controls (37.5% vs 11.8%, P < 0.001). Although video game playing was relatively prevalent in children regardless of ADHD status, those with ADHD had a higher rate of problematic video game use than controls. The pattern of leisure activities including video game use should be assessed during health supervision visits. As such, those at risk for game addiction could be identified early, resulting in appropriate intervention.

Problematic Video Gaming in a Young Spanish Population: Association with Psychosocial Health.

Problematic video gaming (PVG) is a concern for psychologists attending children and adolescents. Uniform diagnostic criteria are lacking, and risk factors are poorly understood. Internet gaming disorder (IGD) was included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), and scales derived from its diagnostic criteria may be helpful to assess PVG. A multicenter study was conducted in secondary schools using an IGD-derived scale (dichotomous Nine-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale [IGD-9]), analyzing PVG-related variables. Seven hundred eight students (55.8 percent male) with mean age 15.6 ± 2.7 years were included. Seventy-three percent were gamers and 22 percent heavy gamers (HGs). Forty-five percent reported online gaming and 6.6 percent massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). Fifty-nine students (8.3 percent) scored 5 or more in IGD-9 and were classified as IGD+. HG and IGD+ subjects were more frequently male and online and MMORPG gamers (p < 0.01). However, IGD+ subjects had significantly worse psychosocial scores than IGD- (p < 0.001), while HGs did not significantly differ from casual gamers (p > 0.01). The multivariate analysis showed that IGD+ scores were significantly associated with worse psychosocial health and adjustment (p < 0.001), while the other variables (male sex, online and MMORPG gaming, and HG) were not significantly associated (p > 0.01). The IGD-9 scale scored positive in 8.3 percent of our sample. Unlike gaming time, this scale was associated with psychosocial disturbances, making it potentially useful as a screening method to detect candidates for clinical intervention.

Who Is at Risk for Problematic Video Gaming? Risk Factors in Problematic Video Gaming in Clinically Referred Canadian Children and Adolescents

Both Internet and offline video gaming have become a normal aspect of child development, with estimates of children playing video games ranging from 90% to 97%. Research on problematic video gaming (PVG) has grown substantially in the last decade. Much of that research has focused on community samples, while research on clinically referred children and youth is lacking. The present study includes 5820 clinically referred children and youth across 44 mental health agencies, assessed using the interRAI Child and Youth Mental Health Assessment. Logistic regression analyses revealed that older age, male sex, extreme shyness, internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms, and poor relational strengths are all significant predictors of problematic video gaming (PVG). Further analyses suggested that, out of the internalizing symptoms, anhedonia was predictive of PVG in both males and females, but depressive symptoms and anxiety were not predictive of PVG when controlling for other variables in the model. Moreover, proactive aggression and extreme shyness were predictive of PVG in males, but not in females. The implications of these findings are discussed.

A Stress-Coping Model of Problem Online Video Game Use

It is argued that problem video game use (PVGU) has similarities with behavioral addictions such as problem gambling. Unlike other addictions, the predictors of online PVGU have not been studied extensively. We applied a stress-coping model, previously developed for electronic gambling addiction, to PVGU. In this model, stressors lead to excessive behavior via maladaptive coping strategies involving the behavior. Video game players (N = 2261) completed an online questionnaire about their gaming habits, and self-report measures of depression, loneliness, social anxiety, and escapism and social interaction motives for gaming. Consistent with the stress-coping model, depression, loneliness, and social anxiety predicted levels of PVGU, these effects being partially mediated by escapism and social interaction motives for gaming. The pattern of mediation differed by gamers’ preferred game genre in a way that suggested “First Person Shooter” games provide an escape from aversive states, while, in addition to providing escape, massively multiplayer online role playing games, which emphasize collaborative play, may also be supplementing or substituting for face-to-face social interactions.

Youth violence victims and perpetrators in Ontario: identifying a high-risk group and a focus for public health prevention.

Bullying and violence are common experiences and pose significant lifelong burdens of disease for youth. This study identifies upstream determinants of youth violence and examines the shared characteristics of victims and perpetrators. Multivariable multinomial logistic regression modeling analyzed a subsample of 5403 students who participated in the 2015 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey to estimate the likelihood that students with various risk profiles were victims and perpetrators. Risk factors associated with an increased likelihood of being both a victim and a perpetrator, compared to neither, included harmful alcohol use, potential problem drug use, psychological distress, traumatic brain injury, problem video game playing, fighting, and carrying a weapon in the past 12months. Many risk factors were more strongly associated with both victimization and perpetration relative to reporting either alone. This study demonstrates an association between risk factors of interest to public health for students reporting both victimization and perpetration. This group may warrant further targeted public health interventions to prevent violence alongside existing public health programs addressing other health risk behaviours.

Addiction aux jeux vidéo en ligne : étude comparative des outils de mesure en langue française

During these last years, online video game addiction has been a growing research topic, highly debated among researchers around the world. This addiction is evaluated by an important number of questionnaires which were validated with different statistical methods. In France, clinicians and researchers are also confronted to a large choice of questionnaires. However, these French questionnaires do not seem to evaluate the same object and they must be used for different types of populations. In this study, we compare four questionnaires often used in therapy and research about online video game addiction. These tools are the English and French version of the Problem Video game Playing (PVP), the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), the Questionnaire de Mesure de l’Intensité aux Conduites Addictives (QMICA, French version only) and the Game Addiction Scale (GAS). They are compared to a questionnaire in English: the Internet Gaming Disorder-20 questionnaire. Several statistical characteristics comparisons are highlighted in this study. Factorial analysis statistical determinants, concurrent validity, number of items, the specificity of the sample (age, psychological disorders), construction of the scale and the theory behind each questionnaire are detailed and compared in this study. For all the questionnaires, the addiction criterion of the DSM-IV or the DSM-5 are considered. However, no distinction between online and offline video game addiction is made for all the questionnaires. No distinction of the game genre is made either. There is a high variation of the items number, the age and the number of participants evaluated for the statistical validation. It varies from 7 items for the GAS to 20 items for the IGD-20. The number of participants varies from 50 for the French version of the PVP to 1003 for the IGD-20. Some questionnaires are validated on a population of teenagers (PVP, GAS), and other are for adults (IAT, QMICA, IGD-20). Cronbach’ alphas are good for all questionnaires, except for the English version of the IAT (“moderately weak”). A factorial analysis is commonly used for the validation and/or the translation of questionnaires. The French version of the IAT and the IGD-20 inform us about the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA). Other authors used the total variance explanation. Finally, different concurrent validities are highlighted, such as depression and anxiety for the English version of the PVP, playing time, life satisfaction and socials skills for the English version of the GAS, or other addictions like tobacco for the QMICA. Considering all these statistical characteristics, The Internet Gaming Disorder-20 questionnaire seems to be the best tool to evaluate the video game addiction, but it is not validated in French yet. For teenagers, the GAS seems to be the more useful. In order to evaluate other addition, the QMICA is the best questionnaire. The statistic elements of the French versions of the PVP and the IAT are questionable for the use in therapy and research.

Smoking, ADHD, and Problematic Video Game Use: A Structural Modeling Approach.

Problematic video game use (PVGU), or addiction-like use of video games, is associated with physical and mental health problems and problems in social and occupational functioning. Possible correlates of PVGU include frequency of play, cigarette smoking, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The aim of the current study was to explore simultaneously the relationships among these variables as well as test whether two separate measures of PVGU measure the same construct, using a structural modeling approach. Secondary data analysis was conducted on 2,801 video game users (Mage = 22.43 years, standard deviation [SD]age = 4.7; 93 percent male) who completed an online survey. The full model fit the data well: χ2 (2) = 2.017, p > 0.05; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.002 (90% CI [0.000-0.038]); comparative fit index (CFI) = 1.000; standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.004; and all standardized residuals <|0.1|. All freely estimated paths were statistically significant. ADHD symptomatology, smoking behavior, and hours of video game use explained 41.8 percent of variance in PVGU. Tracking these variables may be useful for PVGU prevention and assessment. Young's Internet Addiction Scale, adapted for video game use, and the Problem Videogame Playing Scale both loaded strongly onto a PVGU factor, suggesting that they measure the same construct, that studies using either measure may be compared to each other, and that both measures may be used as a screener of PVGU.

Adolescent Problem Video Gaming in Urban and Non-urban Regions

The purpose of this paper is to explore the differences in adolescent problem video gaming in a large urban area (Toronto) compared to a non-urban region of Ontario (Northern Ontario). The results of this study showed that 76.6% of adolescents in the urban region and 80.3% of adolescents in the non-urban region played video games in the past year (n = 2175). Adolescents in the urban region were significantly more likely than adolescents in the non-urban region to experience problem video gaming (16.7 and 8.8%, respectively). Males and those reporting poorer mental health were more likely to experience problem video gaming. Those who engaged in delinquent behaviors were more likely to experience problem video gaming in both regions, while problem gamblers were more likely to experience problem gaming in urban regions. Lower scholastic achievement was correlated with problem video gaming in the non-urban region.

The effectiveness of a parental guide for prevention of problematic video gaming in children: A public health randomized controlled intervention study.

Background and aimsExcessive use of video games among children and adolescents is a growing concern. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a brief parental guide with advices and strategies for regulating video gaming in children.MethodsA random sample of guardians of children between the age of 8–12 years old (N = 5,864) was drawn from the Norwegian Population Registry and equally randomized into an intervention and a control condition. A parental guide based on clinical and research literature was distributed by postal mail to those in the intervention condition. A 4-month follow-up survey comprising questions about problematic video gaming, gaming behavior, sleep activity, and parental video game regulation behavior was administered.ResultsIndependent t-tests revealed no significant differences between the two conditions (N = 1,657, response rate 30.1%) on any outcome measure. An ANOVA with planned comparisons showed that respondents who reported that they had read and followed the parental guide reported more video game problems and used more parental mediation strategies than those who did not read and follow the guide.ConclusionsWe found no evidence for the effectiveness of the psychoeducational parental guide on preventing problematic video gaming in children. However, the guide was read and positively assessed by a significant proportion of guardians. Differences between those who studied the guide and those who did not may indicate that parental guides are better aimed at providing important information to those who already have problems rather than as a mean of primary prevention.

Problematic Video Game Use among Teenagers in Sfax, Tunisia

Problematic Video Game Use among Teenagers in Sfax, Tunisia

Problematic consumption of substances and video game use in spanish university students depending on sex and place of residence

Aims: This study aims to identify the relationship between consumption of harmful substances and video games use with gender and place of residence in a sample of Spanish university students.Methods: The research was conducted with a sample of 490 university students (M = 22.8 years; SD = 3.63). The main instruments used were the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (ftnd), the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), the Questionnaire of Experiences Related to Video Games (QERV) and the Questionnaire of Habits of Video games Consumption (QHVC).Findings: The results show a relatively low tobacco consumption and video game use and a high alcohol consumption. With regards to gender, women hardly ever drink alcohol and play with video games less often than men. Participants’ place of residence influenced their habits regarding video games, but not regarding tobacco and alcohol consumption. Additionally, regression analyses identified that males were five times more likely to exhibit problematic video game use.Conclusion: Spanish male students, who has grown-up with technology looming, is absorbed easily by new technologies such as social networks and video games. These habits and consumption of harmful substances can cause health problems which must be prevented and treated from educational stratum.