Perceived problems with computer gaming and Internet use are associated with poorer social relations in adolescence

A longitudinal study on the impact of Internet gaming disorder on self-perceived health, academic performance, and social life of first-year college students

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is associated with health, social, and academic problems but whether these are consequences of the disorder rather than precursors or correlates is unclear. We aimed to evaluate whether IGD in the 1st year of university predicts health, academic and social problems 1 year later, controlling for baseline health, academic and social problems, demographics, and mental health symptoms.

METHODS

In a prospective cohort study, 1741 university students completed both a baseline online survey in their 1st year and a follow-up survey 1 year later. Log-binomial models examined the strength of prospective associations between baseline predictor variables (IGD, baseline health, academic and social problems, sex, age, and mental health symptoms) and occurrence of health, academic and social problems at follow-up.

RESULTS

When extensively adjusted by the corresponding outcome at baseline, any mental disorder symptoms, sex, and age, baseline IGD was associated only with severe school impairment and poor social life (risk ratio [RR] = 1.77; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.14-2.75, p = .011; RR = 1.22; 95% CI = 1.07-1.38, p = .002, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE

University authorities and counselors should consider that incoming 1st-year students that meet criteria for IGD are likely to have increased academic and social impairments during their 1st year for which they may want to intervene. This study adds to the existing literature by longitudinally examining a greater array of negative outcomes of IGD than previously documented.

Adolescents' problematic internet and smartphone use in (cyber)bullying experiences: A network analysis

BACKGROUND

This study investigates both offline and online bullying perpetration and victimization in association with problematic internet use (PIU) and problematic smartphone use (PSU), while also considering the related psychosocial difficulties.

METHODS

A total of 3939 adolescents (49.4% boys, aged 13-15 years) from a representative sample of schools in Slovakia was obtained from the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) project in 2018. Due to the lack of similar complex research and the expected mutual associations among the constructs, we compared exploratory network models that provided separate estimates for boys and girls.

RESULTS

The constructs formed similarly clustered networks for both genders, with a few notable differences. Unlike PIU, PSU was not associated with bullying experiences in boys or girls; however, PSU and PIU were partially related in girls. Bullying experiences formed a strong cluster in both networks. Two strong bridges were identified, and they are potential candidates for intervention in both boys and girls: first, traditional bullying victimization connected the cluster of bullying experiences to psychosocial difficulties; and, second, frequently missing sleep or meals due to internet use (behavioral salience) that is connected to the bullying cluster with PIU.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings offer an indication for the preventive and interventive work of practitioners who deal with adolescents, as well as complex gender comparisons for the mutual relations of problematic internet and smartphone use, bullying experiences, and the psychosocial difficulties of youth. This study provides evidence that problematic digital media can play a role in bullying experiences irrespective of whether bullying happens offline or online.

Association of Cyberbullying and Internet Use Disorder

Purpose of Review

The purpose of this review is to critically assess the published studies on the relationship between cyberbullying and internet use disorder (IUD), and propose directions for further study.

Recent Findings

There were only four prospective studies out of thirty-two reviewed studies conducted since 2004, with only one prospective study conducted during the past 5 years. The field of study has been stagnant during the past 5 years with the vast majority of studies conducted on primary or secondary education and failing to address cyberbullying and IUD in social media and online gaming.

Summary

Cyberbullying and IUD have been described since the nineties, yet there are still significant issues with their definition and research. Lately, both these problematic behaviors are sharing the same environments in social media and online gaming. This critical appraisal of published research examined thirty-two published peer-reviewed studies carried out since 2004. Findings indicate a number of significant issues including an overreliance on cross-sectional study design, near-exclusive focus on primary and secondary education students, widespread employment of unstandardized measures for cyberbullying and IUD, and lack of assessment for objective measures of psychological distress. Directions for future research are offered.

“Game (not) Over”: A Systematic Review of Video Game Disorder in Adolescents

This study aims to characterize video game use disorder in adolescents, identifying the particularities of those who present it, its effects at the brain level, related factors, and existing measurement instruments. A systematic review of the scientific publications available in Scopus was carried out, between the period 2014-2018 on video game use disorder in adolescents. Adolescents with this disorder are characterized by being mostly men, spending more time daily and weekly playing than adolescents without this disorder, showing diverse symptoms in the behavioral, affective, and cognitive areas. At brain level, it is referred that in this disorder there is an increase and decrease in the activation of specific areas of the brain. Likewise, the presence of some psychological disorder and impulsivity are considered factors that increase the risk of suffering from it. However, there are protective factors as school commitment and parental supervision, among others. How to cite: Rojas-Jara, C., Polanco-Carrasco, R., Navarro-Castillo, R., Faúndez-Castillo, F., & Chamorro-Gallardo, M. (2022). “Game (not) Over”: A Systematic Review of Video Game Disorder in Adolescents. Revista Colombiana de Psicología, 31(2), 45-64. https://doi.org/10.15446/rcp.v31n2.90741

Childhood psychological maltreatment and internet gaming addiction in Chinese adolescents: Mediation roles of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and psychosocial problems

BACKGROUND

Internet gaming addiction (IGA) is a global concern, especially among young children. There have been some suggestions that childhood psychological maltreatment influences the development of IGA, but evidence for this has thus far been lacking.

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to investigate the association between childhood psychological maltreatment and IGA in adolescents and the mediation roles of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and psychosocial problems (depression and social anxiety).

METHODS

This study recruited 1280 (girls = 690) middle school students with a mean age of 16.09 ± 0.98 years old. All participants undertook a standardized assessment of childhood psychological maltreatment, maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, psychosocial problems (depression and social anxiety), and IGA.

RESULTS

We examined whether the effect of childhood psychological maltreatment on IGA was mediated by maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and psychosocial problems (depression and social anxiety). Both parallel and sequential mediation analysis showed that maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and depression mediated the relationship between childhood psychological maltreatment and IGA.

CONCLUSIONS

Childhood psychological maltreatment is positively associated with IGA in adolescents. Maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and depression both significantly mediated the relationship between childhood psychological maltreatment and IGA.

Is There a Relationship Between Youth Bullying and Internet Addiction? An Integrative Review

Youth bullying is a global public health problem; Internet addiction is on the rise globally among youths. Because the linkage between these behaviors has not been clearly explicated, this integrative review evaluated the relevant empirical evidence. A search of five electronic databases identified 2,761 original citations published between January 2000 and May 2019. After further abstract screening and detailed evaluation of 262 full-text articles, the final sample consisted of 14 prospective descriptive studies representing 10 countries. Review results clearly established that the relationship between bullying and Internet addiction is firmly supported; less is known as to the contribution of gender, age, and other demographic variables, their impact on health outcomes, problematic behaviors, and the role of parental mediation. Inconsistent definitions and instrumentation and lack of sophisticated study designs limited the synthesis of findings. Future research is needed to explicate these relationships, so data-driven interventions can be developed.

Meaning in life as a mediator between interpersonal alienation and smartphone addiction in the context of Covid-19: A three-wave longitudinal study

In the context of the Covid-19, the present study designed a longitudinal study to examine the relationship among interpersonal alienation, meaning in life and smartphone addiction. Meanwhile, with the development of the epidemic whether there would be changes in the three variables was also examined. A sample of 579 university students (baseline mean age = 20.59, SD = 2.20) finished the anonymous questionnaires about interpersonal alienation, meaning in life and smartphone addiction. Three repeated measurements were obtained in June, September and December 2020. The finding indicated that university students’ interpersonal alienation and meaning in life significantly increased, and the risk of smartphone addiction significantly decreased with the epidemic under control. Besides, meaning in life in the middle mitigating period of the epidemic mediated the relationship between interpersonal alienation in the early severe period of the epidemic and smartphone addiction in the basic end period of the epidemic. The study contributes to our understanding of how low levels of interpersonal alienation may improve meaning in life and reduce the risk of smartphone addiction. What’ s more, it provides scientific suggestions for the prevention and intervention of the adverse effects during public health emergencies.

Association between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Time Spent Playing Video Games in Adolescents: Results from A-CHILD Study

Background: Excessive time spent playing video games is associated with adverse health outcomes in adolescents. Although poor child–parent relationship and social relations with peers are considered as possible predictors, little is known as to whether adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with time spent playing video games. The aim is to examine the association between ACEs and time spent playing video games in adolescents. Methods: We used pooled data from the Adachi Child Health Impact of Living Difficulty (A-CHILD) study in 2016 and 2018, which is a population-based cross-sectional study in Adachi City, Tokyo, Japan (N = 6799, 4th, 6th, and 8th-grade students). Adolescents answered questionnaires examining the time spent playing video games, per day, on weekdays (“less than 1 h”, “less than 3 h”, and “more than 3 h”) and ACEs (eight types). Results: The results of the ordinal logistic regression analysis showed a positive association between ACE total score and time spent playing video games after adjusting for covariates (1 ACE: OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.10–1.48; 2 ACEs: OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.06–1.48; 3 + ACEs: OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.14–1.82, p for trend < 0.001). Regarding each type of ACE, the experiences of single parenthood, parental history of psychiatric disorders, and peer isolation were independently positively associated with time spent playing video games. Conclusions: Health policy to address ACEs might be important to shorten the time spent playing video games.

Mental health and behavioral problems associated with video game playing among Brazilian adolescents

BACKGROUND

The problematic use of video games is linked to mental health and behavioral problems among adolescents. World reported averages for problematic use range from 1.3% to 19.3%. This is the first study to investigate these problems among Brazilian adolescents.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to describe the prevalence of the non-problematic and problematic use of video games among Brazilian adolescents, and to assess mental health and behavioral problems associated with both types of use.

METHODS

This study used the baseline data of a cluster randomized controlled trial that evaluated the effectiveness of the school-based program #Tamojunto2.0. The sample included 3,939 eighth-grade students who answered an anonymous self-report questionnaire. Video game use was investigated through a question, and problematic use was assessed using a scale. Weighted logistic regressions were used to investigate the associated factors.

RESULTS

The results show that 85.85% of the children reported playing video games in the past year, 28.17% fulfilled our criteria for problematic use. Non-problematic video game use is associated with being male, younger ages, and bullying perpetration. Problematic video game use is associated with being male, tobacco and alcohol use, bullying perpetrators, and bullying victims, with abnormal levels of hyperactivity/inattention, social behavior problems, conduct problems, peer relationship problems, and emotional symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Brazilian adolescents' self-reported use of video games is compatible with the world average, but the percentage of those who showed problematic use is higher than the world average. This study demonstrates the need for investigating how to prevent and intervene in this situation.

The Association Between Gaming Practices and Scholastic Performance Among Medical Students in India: Case-Control Study

BACKGROUND

Gaming is a billion-dollar industry that is expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 9% to 14.3%, with the biggest market in Southeast Asian countries. The availability of low-cost smartphones and the ease at which the internet can be accessed have made gaming popular among youth, who enjoy it as a leisure activity. According to the World Health Organization, excessive indulgence in gaming can lead to gaming disorder. Medical students indulging in excessive gaming can succumb to gaming disorder, which can affect their scholastic performance.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the association between gaming practices and scholastic performance among medical students.

METHODS

 This study used a case-control design, where 448 medical undergraduate students (first year to prefinal) were preliminarily surveyed using universal sampling on their gaming practices in the last 6 months. Out of this sample, the 91 participants who admitted to gaming in the past 6 months were recruited as cases, while participants who never engaged in gaming in the last 6 months were recruited as controls. Both the cases and controls were matched for age and gender in a 1:1 ratio. The internal assessment scores (based on 2 midterms completed in the last 6 months) of cases and controls were compared. The Snedecor F test was used to determine the association between the number of hours spent gaming and internal assessment scores (%), while the Student t test was used to determine significant differences between the internal assessment scores of cases and controls. Odds ratios were calculated to identify the risk of poor scholastic performance among cases compared to the controls. The prevalence of gaming disorder among cases was assessed using the Gaming Addiction Scale (GAS).

RESULTS

The frequency of gaming (in hours) was not associated with mean internal assessment scores (P=.13). Male cases reported significantly lower internal assessment scores compared to male controls (P=.005 vs P=.01), whereas no significant differences were observed between the internal assessment scores of female cases and controls (P=.89 vs P=.59). A negative correlation was observed between GAS scores and internal assessment scores (r=-0.02). The prevalence of gaming disorder using the GAS was observed to be 6.3% (28/448) in the study population and 31% (28/91) among cases. The risk of low scores (<50%) among gamers was observed to be 1.9 (95% CI 1.04-3.44, P=.03) times higher in the first midterm and 1.80 (95% CI 0.97-3.36, P=.06) times higher in the second midterm compared to nongamers.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that excessive gaming adversely affects the scholastic performance of male participants more than female participants. Awareness about gaming disorder needs to be created among students, parents, and teachers. Treatment services should be made available to medical students with gaming disorders.

Effects of Electroacupuncture Combined With Psychological Intervention on Depressive Status and Contingent Negative Variation in Patients With Internet Addiction Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Depressive symptoms often accompany people with Internet addiction syndrome (IAD). Acupuncture has been found to have significant advantages in improving the severity and depressive symptoms of IAD. Contingent negative variation (CNV) is a common method to explore the mechanism of neurophysiology. Objective: The purpose of this study was to observe the efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA), psychological intervention (PI), and comprehensive intervention (CI) in the treatment of depression in Internet addiction disorder (IAD), and to observe the changes of contingent negative variation (CNV) in each group. Methods: One hundred and twenty subjects diagnosed with IAD were randomly assigned to the EA group, the PI group, or the CI group. They received EA, PI, or a combination of EA and PI for 40 days. The Internet Addiction Test (IAT), the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), and the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) were evaluated for all subjects at baseline, 20th, and 40th days of treatment, while CNV data were collected at baseline and 40th days of treatment. Results: Three treatments effectively reduced IAT, SDS, and HAMD scores, and the intergroup comparison showed that CI was superior to EA, while EA was superior to PI. CNV results indicated that the CNV amplitude increased in all three groups of IAD patients after treatment. The CNV latency of point A and A-S2' wave area of the EA group and the CI group did not change significantly after treatment. Only the A-S2' wave area of the PI group increased significantly compared with the baseline period. In addition, IAD's IAT score was positively correlated with SDS and HAMD score at baseline but negatively correlated with CNV latency. After treatment, only the change of HAMD score in the CI group was negatively correlated with amplitude. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate the efficacy of acupuncture and psychological intervention in the treatment of IAD from an electrophysiological perspective. Simultaneously, the increase in CNV amplitude might be the underlying neurophysiological mechanism by which CI improves depression and cognitive function in IAD patients. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT02362698.

Identifying individuals in need of help for their uncontrolled gaming: A narrative review of concerns and comments regarding gaming disorder diagnostic criteria

OBJECTIVE

In 2013, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) included the diagnostic criteria of Internet gaming disorder (IGD). Then, in 2019, the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) categorized gaming disorder (GD) as an addictive disorder. This review aimed to review the raised concerns, debate, and research of IGD or GD criteria and provide suggestions to resolve them.

METHODS

A narrative review was conducted, and PubMed was searched for articles mentioning concerns and research on the DSM-5 criteria for IGD, ICD-11 criteria for GD, or criteria for other synonyms, such as problematic gaming or gaming addiction. A total of 107 articles were identified.

RESULTS

Concerns were organized into three categories: conceptual framework, moral panic, and diagnostic validity. Most argumentations supported the proposition that GD and other substance use disorders have similar presentations. A clear definition of GD and adequate public education could prevent rather than exacerbate moral panic. Several researchers reported concerns regarding the nosology, diagnostic validity, and wording of each criterion. However, the threshold, five of the nine criteria with impaired function, demonstrated adequate validity in interview studies.

CONCLUSION

The current findings support the addiction framework, functional impairment, and validity of the GD criteria. However, further prospective, experimental, and clinical studies validating these findings are warranted. Moreover, an integrative review or debate conference could contribute to the organization of the available results and concept development. Aggregating adequate scientific information could allay or resolve concerns related to the diagnosis of GD.

An investigation into Video Game Addiction in Pre-Adolescents and Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Game addiction is an emerging problem in public health. A gaming disorder is characterized by a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behavior. The behavioral pattern is severe enough to implicate a significant involvement of family, social, educational, professional, or other relationships. Therefore, greater attention needs to be paid to potential addictive behaviors in terms of video games in order to identify both pre-adolescents and adolescents at risk and to provide them with adequate assistance. Materials and Methods: A random sample of 622 students including pre-adolescents and adolescents were enrolled from September 1st to October 31th 2016, and the Game Addiction Scale (GAS) interview was used to identify pathological students with both Monothetic and Polythetic analysis.

RESULTS

This study shows the presence of pathological students is equal to 1.93%, with 37.46% and 4.50% obtained with Monothetic and Polythetic analysis (global and partial), respectively. In our sample, the most frequent were students with a gaming time of 1 or 2 h, and students with a day gaming frequency of 1, 2, or 3 times a day. The items with more pathological students were Item 2 (i.e., Tolerance) and 4 (i.e., Withdrawal). Every item was positively correlated with Daily gaming time(hours) and Daily game frequency, excluding Item 4(i.e., Withdrawal). Finally, the Monothetic GAS score was positively correlated with Daily gaming time while the Polythetic Global GAS was positively correlated with Daily game frequency and negatively with Education level; instead, the Polythetic Partial GAS score was positively correlated with only Daily gaming time.

CONCLUSION

Males are pathological gamblers more so than females and spend more time playing video games. An increase in Daily game frequency or Daily gaming time implicates an increase in video game addictions, while an increase in Education level, which generally corresponds to a greater age, implicates a decrease in game addiction. Finally, we observed that the correlations obtained between the Polythetic Partial GAS score with the independent variables such as Age, Gender, Education level, Daily gaming time (hours), and Daily game frequency were analogous to the significant correlations obtained with the Monothetic GAS score, while these correlations were different for the Polythetic Global GAS and the independent variables. These results suggest that the use of the original Polythetic scale should not be neglected.

Gaming addiction and perceived stress among Saudi adolescents

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5% of Saudi adolescents (grade 7–12) were addicted to gaming.

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11% were suffering from a high level of stress.

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Gaming addiction was strongly associated with moderate- and high-level stress.

Introduction

Adolescents (age: 10–19 years) make up 15% of the Saudi population and have easy access to electronic gadgets and the Internet, yet data on gaming addiction among adolescents are negligible. We aimed to determine the prevalence of gaming addiction and its association with stress among Saudi school students.

Methods

In this cross-sectional survey, 2675 school students (grades 7–12) from 40 randomly selected schools in four main cities of Al-Qassim province in Saudi Arabia participated. The questionnaire inquired about demography, lifestyle, gaming addiction (7-item Game Addiction Scale), and stress (10-item Perceived Stress Scale). Multinomial logistic regression assessed the association between gaming addiction (yes, no) and stress (high, moderate, low).

Results

Participants’ mean age was 16.1 (SD = 1.6) years; 50% were female; 64% reported >3 h of daily screen time; 5% were addicted to gaming; 11.4% had high-level stress. Addiction to gaming was strongly associated with stress in the adjusted analysis (moderate OR = 6.7, 95% CI = 2.9–15.5; high OR = 11.9, 95% CI = 4.7–30.1). Additionally, those who were older, female, had poor grades, unhealthy dietary habits, an inactive lifestyle, and smoked were more likely to experience high stress.

Conclusions

Gaming addiction is strongly associated with stress among Saudi adolescents.

The Relationship Between Electronic Gaming and Health, Social Relationships, and Physical Activity Among Males in Saudi Arabia

Physical and psychological effects of playing computer games cannot be ignored. Electronic games are considered to be an influential factor in growth, personality development, and positive sociability of children, and game duration has been associated with increased aggression, reduced mental health, and higher BMI. The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between electronic gaming and health, social relationships, and physical activity among males aged 16-18 years in Saudi Arabia. An online survey designed by the authors containing 60 items and divided into 5 sections was used during one school semester. The sample was selected randomly from 30 high schools; 90 students were selected from each school, with 30 chosen from each of grades 9, 10, and 11. Respondents were 194 male students, aged 17.23 ± 1.52 years. The questionnaire was presented to six experts to assess validity, with Cronbach's α established at 0.87. Results showed that playing electronic games had a negative relation with health, social relationships, and physical activity among males. The most negative significant was the correlation between electronic games and physical activity (r = -.49), followed by that with social relationships (r = -.42) and BMI (r = -.31) . The lowest result was for health (r = .20). More empirical investigations are needed to explore deeper effects of electronic gaming on various groups in Saudi society, including the general population, employees, and different categories of school and university students.

Trends in Screen Time Behaviours in Czech Schoolchildren between 2002 and 2014: HBSC Study

OBJECTIVE

Screen-based behaviours such as watching television or computer use are among the most prevalent sedentary behaviours adolescents spend time on. There is a lack of recent estimates on prevalence and changes in the amount of time spent on screen-based behaviour across Central and Eastern Europe. The main aim is to assess the trends in the prevalence of current recommendations for the screen time (≤2 hours per day) of school-aged children in the Czech Republic between 2002 and 2014.

METHODS

We used an internationally established methodology based on the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HSBC) study. Data was derived from Czech national representative samples of 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds collected in the years 2002 (N=4,065), 2006 (N=4,170), 2010 (N=3,962) and 2014 (N=4,338).

RESULTS

The results indicated that the boys and girl surveyed in 2014 are up to two times more likely to meet the current recommendations for watching television in comparison with groups of schoolchildren of the same age surveyed in 2002. In contrast, computer use by adolescents increased markedly between 2006 and 2014. Taking total screen time into account, spending two hours per day or less on it decreased significantly among boys (OR=0.74, 95% CI=0.62-0.89) and girls (OR=0.80, 95% CI=0.70-0.92) between 2006 and 2014.

CONCLUSIONS

As screen time is an important indicator of time spent in a sedentary way, our findings call for more interventions to reduce the time that school-aged children spend in front of screens.

Video game addiction and psychological distress among expatriate adolescents in Saudi Arabia

Introduction

Few studies have estimated screen time among Arab adolescents, and no studies, to date, have published data on addiction to video games or Internet games among Arab adolescents. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of addiction to video games and its correlation with mental health in a sample of expatriate high school students from the Al-Qassim region of Saudi Arabia.

Methods

The survey was conducted in 2016 among 276 students enrolled in ninth through twelfth grades in the International Schools in Buraidah, Al-Qassim. Students who returned signed consent forms from their parents filled out a self-administered questionnaire that included validated scales on addiction to video games, general health, and lifestyle.

Results

The proportion between the sexes and the schools were roughly equal. Around 32% were overweight or obese, 75% had screen time ≥ 2 h/day, and 20% slept < 5 h/night. Sixteen per cent (16%) were addicted to video games and 54% had psychological distress. Addiction to video games was strongly associated with psychological distress (OR = 4.1, 95% CI = 1.80, 9.47). Other significant correlates were female gender, higher screen time, and shorter sleep hours.

Conclusions

The proportion of students with psychological distress was high. Future studies should investigate other potential correlates of distress such personal traits, family relations, and academic performance.

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Proportion of adolescents addicted to video games was 16%.

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Relationship between video game addiction and psychological distress was significant.

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Risk factors for distress included being female, fewer hours of sleep, and higher screen time.

Cross-sectional and longitudinal epidemiological studies of Internet gaming disorder: A systematic review of the literature

AIM

The diagnostic criteria of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) have been included in section III of DSM-5. This study aims to systematically review both cross-sectional and longitudinal epidemiological studies of IGD.

METHODS

All publications included in PubMed and PsychINFO up to May 2016 were systematically searched to identify cross-sectional studies on prevalence and longitudinal studies of IGD. In the process of identification, articles in non-English languages and studies focusing solely on the use of gaming were excluded, and those meeting the methodological requirements set by this review were included. As a result, 37 cross-sectional and 13 longitudinal studies were selected for review.

RESULTS

The prevalence of IGD in the total samples ranged from 0.7% to 27.5%. The prevalence was higher among males than females in the vast majority of studies and tended to be higher among younger rather than older people in some studies. Geographical region made little difference to prevalence. Factors associated with IGD were reported in 28 of 37 cross-sectional studies. These were diverse and covered gaming, demographic and familial factors, interpersonal relations, social and school functioning, personality, psychiatric comorbidity, and physical health conditions. Longitudinal studies identified risk and protective factors, and health and social consequences of IGD. The natural course of IGD was diverse but tended to be more stable among adolescents compared to adults.

CONCLUSION

Although existing epidemiological studies have provided useful data, differences in methodologies make it difficult to compare the findings of these studies when drawing consensus. Future international studies using reliable and uniform methods are warranted.

[Negative perceptions of the risks associated with gaming in young adolescents: An exploratory study to help thinking about a prevention program]

Given the growing use of video games and the growing number of adolescents with Internet gaming disorder (IGD), prevention in this area is necessary. The objective of this study was to investigate the use and most particularly the representations of the risks associated with the use of video games in young adolescents by comparing problematic (PGs) and nonproblematic gamers (NPGs). Gender differences were also explored. Five Parisian middle schools participated in this study and 434 adolescents (231 boys, m_age=13.2 years; 203 girls, m_age=13.1 years) answered several questions concerning videogames (including the Game Addiction Scale). Among all participants (n=434), 37 students (n=8.8%) could be considered PGs. Of these, 29 (n=78.4%) were boys. Generally, sample students' surf and play a great deal during the week: they spend an average of 2h per day playing video games and 4h per day on the Internet. The number of screens at home is significantly higher in PGs compared to NPGs, the remaining set at a high level (n>10). Most middle school students believe that time spent on video games can have an impact on physical and mental health but they have no impact on academic performance. The two types of video games responsible for problematic use were role-play games and first-person shooter games. Most negative consequences are reported more by girls than boys: eating problems (P=.037), sleep problems (P=.040), vision problems (P=.002), conflicts with parents (P<001), loss of time (P=.003), and lack of school investment (P<.001). For all participants, the main reasons for IGD were poor academic performance, lack of friends, lack of self-confidence and family problems. In NPGs, girls reported more than boys that family problems (P=.003), lack of self-confidence (P=.005) and negative self-image (P=.007) led to IGD. The three main features of the individual with IGD reported by PGs and NPGs is the failure to stop playing, playing instead of fulfilling one's obligations and doing nothing but play. Most of the respondents believed that one can be addicted to video games and that they can have an impact on physical and mental health. Adolescents are more aware of the impact gaming generates on themselves than on their relationship with the environment (school and family). These preliminary exploratory findings indicate that preventive action could be promoted for adolescents. To promote life skills, and given that girls often report more negative consequences than boys, it seems important to include these skills in prevention programs.

An integrative review of coping related to problematic computer use in adolescence

OBJECTIVES

Problematic computer use is the use of computer technology that may be health-endangering and may cause immediate or later negative physical or psychological health outcomes or disturb well-being in users. The main purpose of this study was to review current empirical research on coping strategies which adolescents apply in the context of problematic computer use and the coping-relevant impacts of problematic computer use.

METHODS

An integrative review of empirical studies using the Web of Science, Google Scholar, reference lists and forward tracking was conducted. Of the 404 articles identified, 28 peer-reviewed, full-text articles that directly addressed coping in relation to problematic Internet use, computer overuse and cyberbullying were included in the review.

RESULTS

This review identified the structure of specific coping strategies related to problematic computer use as well as the general patterns of relationships between reviewed instances of problematic computer use, situational coping and dispositional coping.

CONCLUSIONS

Instrumental action and talking with others were the most frequent strategies used by adolescents to cope with cyberbullying. The structure of the coping strategies related to problematic Internet use and computer overuse is highly differentiated, revealing a new and promising area for future research.