Problematic online gaming. Is it real and does it matter to our teenagers?

Abstract

Background:Video games and social media have become an ubiquitous part of our society. Video games have been associated with both positive and negative health consequences. There is a growing body of literature supporting the idea that users can develop problematic interactive media use. We hypothesized that teenagers who screened positive for internet gaming disorder would have correlations with other psychosocial and behavioral concerns when compared to their peers.

Methods:An urban cohort of high school students aged 14-18 years completed validated self-reported questionnaires to screen for internet gaming disorder, risk of depression, daytime sleepiness, and quality of life measures.

Results:Internet gaming disorder was present in 11.9% of participants. Teens screening positive for problematic online gaming also had significantly elevated risk of depression and a lower quality of life.

Conclusion:High school aged students were screened for video game addiction through a self-reported questionnaire. Participants were separated into two groups, those who were identified as meeting criteria for video game addiction and those who did not. The group who screened positive for video game addiction also were at a higher risk for depression and scored lower on a quality-of-life survey. Video game addiction, although likely not causative, may be an indicator of other psychosocial issues faced by high school aged teenagers.

Key Take Away Points [list][list_item] -Internet gaming disorder is present in our teenage population [/list_item] [list_item] -Problematic online gaming correlates with risk of depression and a lower quality of life. [/list_item] [list_item] -Although the prevalence of problematic interactive media use is higher in males, but when present in females the psychological impact is greater. [/list_item] [/list]