Disordered gaming, loneliness, and family harmony in gamers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

An Empirical Investigation of the Relationships Among Self-Esteem, Depression and Self-Serving Bias in People with Internet Gaming Disorder

Introduction

People are generally characterized by a self-serving bias which describes the tendency to ascribe positive outcomes or success to internal or personal causes (self-enhancement motivation) and ascribe negative outcomes or failure to external or situational causes (self-protection motivation). It has been found that the individuals with internet gaming disorder (IGD) who have low self-esteem and high depression exhibit an attenuated self-serving bias. However, the relationships among self-esteem, depression and self-serving bias are not clearly identified.

Methods

A sample of 138 IGD participants completed self-esteem and depression scales and a causal attribution task (Study 1) to examine the relationships among self-esteem, depression and self-serving bias (both self-enhancement and self-protection). In follow-up Study 2, 28 IGD participants were recruited to undertake self-affirmation intervention which can affirm one's sense of global self-view and bolster self-esteem to explore whether self-affirmation would trigger a reduction of depression and a raise of self-serving bias.

Results

The results of path analysis in Study 1 showed that the self-serving bias was predicted by self-esteem and depression, and the depression played a mediating role between self-esteem and self-serving bias. The results of Study 2 showed that the IGD participants reported higher self-esteem, lower depression and engaged in more self-protection motivation after affirming-self manipulation as compared with affirming-other manipulation.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that self-esteem predicts self-serving bias through depression and self-affirmation could trigger an increase of self-esteem, further decrease depression and improve self-serving bias for the individuals with IGD. The present article clearly identified the relationships among these factors and provided a new approach to promote positive self-concept in individuals with IGD. Future research is warranted to explore the lasting benefits of self-affirmation on domains of education, relationships and gaming withdrawal for the individuals with IGD among different populations.

Gaming disorder test: Assessing psychometric properties, prevalence, temporal stability, and invariance using a Czech two-time-point longitudinal sample

In 2019, Gaming Disorder (GD) was acknowledged as an official diagnosis by the World Health Organization. The Gaming Disorder Test (GDT) is the most widely used tool to measure GD; however, due to its novelty, various measurement properties are still unexplored, and the number of validated language variants is still limited. The present study is the first to assess the psychometric properties of the Czech version of the GDT. Further, it focuses on its temporal prevalence and stability, gaming genre invariance, and criterion validity. A large-scale sample of adult Czech gamers collected at two points within nine months was analysed - T1 N = 5356; T2 N = 6077; longitudinal sample N = 1430. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation modelling (SEM), and multigroup CFA were employed to assess the measurement invariance. The study confirmed the one-factor structure of the GDT and showed that it is invariant across preferred gaming genres and the time of data collection. It showed a negative relationship with life satisfaction and a positive relationship with anxiety, even when controlling for their mutual relationships. The prevalence in the longitudinal sample was equal to or below 1.9% in each wave, but only 0.5% in the longitudinal sample (hence n = 7 participants fulfilled in both waves the criteria for GD). The study suggests that the Czech version of the GDT has good psychometric properties, including temporal stability and invariance across gaming genres, so it is suitable for the survey type and epidemiological investigation of the ICD-11's Gaming Disorder.

Examining the interplay between internet use disorder tendencies and well-being in relation to sofalizing during the COVID-19 pandemic

AIMS

The present study investigated the potential links between Internet Use Disorder tendencies, well-being and the impact of COVID-19 on Internet usage patterns.

METHOD

A sample of 2498 participants filled out the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; the cognitive facet of well-being) and the Sofalizing Scale which comprises the Online Displacement and Social Compensation dimensions. Participants were also asked to report the extent to which changes in Internet use occurred due to COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., reductions, no changes, increases). The present study comprised a survey study with cross-sectional character.

RESULTS

The statistical analyses demonstrated that the aforementioned variables were robustly associated with each other. In a first mediation model, the association between higher levels of Internet Use Disorder and reduced well-being was partially mediated by the two dimensions of the Sofalizing scale called Online Displacement and Social Compensation. The results of the second mediation model showed that the relationship between changes in Internet use due to COVID-19 pandemic and well-being was fully mediated by CIUS scores, suggesting that increased Internet use due to the COVID-19 pandemic increased levels of Internet Use Disorder tendencies, which in turn decreased levels of well-being.

DISCUSSION

The findings are discussed in the context of human social needs in a time of crisis, where meeting people in-person was restricted.

Smartphone and Instagram use, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorders: investigating the associations using self-report and tracked data

BACKGROUND

Previous research has linked smartphone and Instagram use to higher body dissatisfaction (BD) as well as eating disorder (ED) symptomatology. However, these studies have typically been limited to using self-report measures for technology use which, as shown by scientific literature, might not be reliable. In the present work, we combine self-reported assessments as well as tracked smartphone and Instagram use.

METHODS

The effective sample comprised N = 119 women (34 with ED diagnosis history) who were queried about BD and ED symptomatology, and who provided the data about their smartphone and Instagram use duration for each day of the previous week.

RESULTS

The study results show that women with an ED diagnosis history scored higher on both BD as well as ED scales. Although women with an ED diagnosis history had higher smartphone screen time, there were no statistically significant differences in Instagram screen time. Tracked smartphone use duration was positively correlated with both BD and ED symptomatology, but the role of Instagram use needs to be further elucidated.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study show that while BD and ED symptomatology are correlated with smartphone use, it may be that Instagram use is not the main contributor to that relationship.

College Student Video Gaming: Risk or Resilience for Mental Health?

Video gaming has become a popular method of entertainment for college students. Previous work indicates mixed results regarding the link between video gaming and mental health outcomes. However, little research has addressed how different genres of video games might produce various mental health outcomes. The current study examined whether video game genre enjoyment moderated the links between time spent playing video games and anxiety and stress in college students. College students responded to measures assessing various components of mental health indicating their engagement with various genres of video games. Results indicated no evidence of moderation in all genres of video games. The only significant association to emerge was that of time spent playing life simulation games and anxiety. Our findings demonstrate a minimal influence of video gaming on stress and anxiety levels among college students. Discussed are rationales for the null results and future directions for video game focused research.

Gaming among female adolescents: profiling and psychopathological characteristics in the Indian context

Objectives

Gaming is a predominant leisure time activity among adolescents, and the literature suggests that unrestrained gaming behavior might lead to gaming disorder. ICD-11 and DSM-5 have recognized gaming disorder as a psychiatric condition and grouped it under the behavioral addiction category. Research on gaming behavior and addiction is largely based on data from the male population, and problematic gaming has largely been understood from the male perspective. In this study, we are attempting to bridge the existing lacuna in the literature by exploring gaming behavior, gaming disorder, and its related psychopathological characteristics among female adolescents in India.

Methods

The study was conducted on a sample of 707 female adolescent participants who were contacted through schools and academic institutes in a city in Southern India. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design, and data were administered using the mixed modality of online and offline data collection. The participants filled out the following set of questionnaires: socio-demographic sheet, Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short-Form (IGDS9-SF), Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Rosenberg self-esteem scale, and Brief sensation-seeking scale (BSSS-8). The data gathered from the participants were then statistically analyzed using SPSS software version 26.

Results

The descriptive statistics revealed that 0.8% of the sample (i.e., five participants out of 707) obtained scores meeting gaming addiction criteria. Correlation analysis demonstrated a significant relationship between all the psychological variables with total IGD scale scores (p < 0.05). Total SDQ, total BSSS-8, and domain scores of SDQ, such as emotional symptoms, conduct, hyperactivity, and peer problems, were positively correlated, whereas total Rosenberg scores and domain scores of prosocial behaviors of SDQ were negatively correlated. The Mann-Whitney U-test was employed to compare "with gaming disorder" and "without gaming disorder" categories of female participants. Comparing these two groups revealed significant differences in emotional symptoms, conduct, hyperactivity/inattention, peer problem, and self-esteem scale scores. Furthermore, quantile regression was computed, showing that conduct, peer problem, and self-esteem displayed trend-level prediction for gaming disorder.

Conclusion

Female adolescents prone to gaming addiction can be identified through psychopathological characteristics of conduct, peer problem, and low self-esteem. This understanding can be useful in developing a theoretical model focusing on early screening and preventive strategies for at-risk female adolescents.

Investigating gaming disorder and individual differences in gaming motives among professional and non-professional gamers: An empirical study

The present study investigates the relationship between Gaming Disorder (GD) and individual differences in gaming motives and how they might differ between three groups of gamers. The first group stated to be professional gamers (n = 129; 2,49%), the second group consisted of non-professional gamers, who intended to become professional gamers (n = 646; 12,45%), and the third group included the remaining non-professional gamers (n = 4,412; 85,06%). Gaming motives were assessed via the Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire (MOGQ), and GD was assessed with the Gaming Disorder Test (GDT). Results revealed that professional gamers and those intending to become professional were very similar regarding their gaming motive expressions. In contrast, non-professional gamers without esports ambitions scored significantly lower on all gaming motives, except for the recreational motive which was comparable across all groups. Several consistent gaming motive-GD associations appeared across the three gamer groups, with the most robust finding being that higher escapism motive expressions relate to greater GDT scores. The present study sheds light on an emerging field of research attempting to better understand competitive gaming in the context of esports.

Psychometric Assessment and Gender Invariance of the Polish Version of the Gaming Disorder Test

In 2019, Gaming Disorder (GD) was officially recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an official mental health disorder. Currently, the Gaming Disorder Test (GDT) is one of the most widely utilised psychometric tools to assess GD symptoms according to the WHO framework. In this context, the present study aimed to develop the Polish version of the GDT so that this tool can be used within the Polish cultural context. Additionally, the research aimed to ascertain the psychometric properties and appropriateness of the Polish GDT. To achieve this goal, the Polish GDT was investigated in terms of its validity, reliability, and gender measurement invariance through two studies. Accordingly, study 1 recruited a total of 675 gamers (340 female; Meanage = 31.74 years; SD = 7.75 years; range: 15-45 years) and study 2 comprised 575 gamers (275 female; M age = 29.45 years; SD = 4.25 years; range: 18-35 years). A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to assess psychometric properties of the Polish GDT. The reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's omega, and Average Variance Extracted. Gender measurement invariance was investigated using multiple-group CFA, and the unidimensionality was tested using mean of item residual absolute loadings (MIREAL), explained common variance (ECV), and unidimensional congruence (UC). The results of the psychometric analysis showed that the Polish GDT had a one-factor structure. Additionally, the present study demonstrated that the Polish GDT exhibited adequate levels of convergent validity, reliability, and strict gender measurement invariance. These findings suggest that the Polish version of GDT is a suitable psychometric test to assess GD and facilitate research on GD.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11469-022-00929-4.

Disordered gaming in esports: Comparing professional and non-professional gamers

INTRODUCTION

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) proposed 'Internet Gaming Disorder' (IGD) as a tentative disorder (APA framework) in 2013 and in 2019 the World Health Organization (WHO) has fully recognized 'Gaming Disorder' (GD) as a mental health disorder (WHO framework). These two frameworks have not yet been jointly investigated in the context of esports. The present study aims to investigate the feasibility of the APA and WHO frameworks for disordered gaming among professional and non-professional gamers and to ascertain the suitability of existing psychometric tools for use in esports.

METHODS

A sample of 5,734 gamers (M_age = 21.47 years, SD = 6.69 years; 6.94% female) recruited through an online survey prior to the COVID-19 pandemic that included an age and gender matched group of professional (n = 2,867) and non-professional gamers (n = 2,867) was investigated. Pairwise comparisons, measurement invariance (MI), and latent mean difference tests were conducted to distinguish the two groups of gamers.

RESULTS

Overall, professional gamers showed greater time spent gaming and prevalence of disordered gaming than non-professional gamers. Additionally, MI was supported and both disordered gaming levels and latent means were significantly higher among professional gamers when compared to non-professional gamers across both APA and WHO frameworks.

CONCLUSIONS

Esports is cross-sectionally associated with greater disordered gaming vulnerability through increased time spent gaming and disordered gaming prevalence rates. Furthermore, the APA and WHO frameworks are viable in the context of esports gaming with existing assessment tools being effective in the assessment of disordered gaming in esports. The results and implications are further discussed in light of the extant literature.

Improving the Health of Emerging Adult Gamers-A Scoping Review of Influences

Emerging adults (EAs), defined as adults aged 18 to 25, remain a difficult group to engage in healthy behaviours (including positive dieting and eating patterns). The environmental elements that influence the health behaviours of EAs have been studied. However, the literature is mixed on how online game environments, including eSports and game streaming, can be used to positively engage EAs. In this scoping review, we identified and analysed research on online games, EAs, and dietary patterns to create a behavioural ecological map of influences that intersect with EAs through online games. In total, 75 studies were found, identifying 23 influences that intersect with EAs through their online game use. ESports organisations, eSports athletes, and content creators may be areas of future research (and intervention) as these factors could positively influence the dietary behaviours of EAs (through online games).