The mediating effect of gaming motivation between psychiatric symptoms and problematic online gaming: an online survey

Background: The rapid expansion of online video gaming as a leisure time activity has led to the appearance of problematic online gaming (POG). According to the literature, POG is associated with different psychiatric symptoms (eg, depression, anxiety) and with specific gaming motives (ie, escape, achievement). Based on studies of alcohol use that suggest a mediator role of drinking motives between distal influences (eg, trauma symptoms) and drinking problems, this study examined the assumption that there is an indirect link between psychiatric distress and POG via the mediation of gaming motives. Furthermore, it was also assumed that there was a moderator effect of gender and game type preference based on the important role gender plays in POG and the structural differences between different game types

Video games as a multifaceted medium: a review of quantitative social science research on video games and a typology of video game research approaches

Although there is a vast and useful body of quantitative social science research dealing with the social role and impact of video games, it is difficult to compare studies dealing with various dimensions of video games because they are informed by different perspectives and assumptions, employ different methodologies, and address different problems. Studies focusing on different social dimensions of video games can produce varied findings about games' social function that are often difficult to reconcile - or even contradictory. Research is also often categorized by topic area, rendering a comprehensive view of video games' social role across topic areas difficult. This interpretive review presents a novel typology of four identified approaches that categorize much of the quantitative social science video game research conducted to date: "video games as stimulus," "video games as avocation," "video games as skill," and "video games as social environment." This typology is useful because it provides an organizational structure within which the large and growing number of studies on video games can be categorized, guiding comparisons between studies on different research topics and aiding a more comprehensive understanding of video games' social role. Categorizing the different approaches to video game research provides a useful heuristic for those critiquing and expanding that research, as well as an understandable entry point for scholars new to video game research. Further, and perhaps more importantly, the typology indicates when topics should be explored using different approaches than usual to shed new light on the topic areas. Lastly, the typology exposes the conceptual disconnects between the different approaches to video game research, allowing researchers to consider new ways to bridge gaps between the different approaches' strengths and limitations with novel methods

Dependência de Internet e de jogos eletrônicos: um enfoque cognitivo-comportamental

Background While several benefits are attributed to the Internet and video games, an important proportion of the population presents symptoms related to possible new technological addictions and there has been little discussion of treatment of problematic technology use. Although demand for knowledge is growing, only a small number of treatments have been described. Objective To conduct a systematic review of the literature, to establish Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as a possible strategy for treating Internet and video game addictions. Method The review was conducted in the following databases: Science Direct on Line, PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane Clinical Trials Library, BVS and SciELO. The keywords used were: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; therapy; treatment; with association to the terms Internet addiction and video game addiction. Given the scarcity of studies in the field, no restrictions to the minimum period of publication were made, so that articles found until October 2013 were accounted. Results Out of 72 articles found, 23 described CBT as a psychotherapy for Internet and video game addiction. The manuscripts showed the existence of case studies and protocols with satisfactory efficacy. Discussion Despite the novelty of technological dependencies, CBT seems to be applicable and allows an effective treatment for this population.Contexto Enquanto diversos benefícios são atribuídos à Internet e aos jogos eletrônicos, uma importante parcela da população apresenta sintomas relacionados a possíveis novas dependências tecnológicas, e pouca discussão tem ocorrido sobre o tratamento do uso problemático de tecnologia. Embora a demanda por conhecimento esteja crescendo, apenas um pequeno número de tratamentos tem sido descrito. Objetivo Conduzir uma revisão sistemática da literatura e estabelecer a Terapia Cognitivo-Comportamental (TCC) como uma estratégia possível para o tratamento da dependência de Internet e de jogos eletrônicos. Método A revisão foi conduzida nos seguintes bancos de dados: Science Direct on Line, PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane Clinical Trials Library, BVS e SciELO. As palavras-chave utilizadas foram: Terapia Cognitivo-Comportamental; terapia; tratamento; com associação aos termos Dependência de Internet e dependência de jogos eletrônicos. Dada a escassez de estudos no campo, não foram feitas restrições quanto ao período mínimo de publicação, de modo que os artigos encontrados até outubro de 2013 foram contabilizados. Resultados Dos 72 artigos encontrados, 23 descreveram a TCC como uma psicoterapia para a dependência de Internet e de jogos eletrônicos. Os manuscritos mostraram a existência de estudos de caso e protocolos com eficácia satisfatória. Conclusões Apesar da novidade das dependências tecnológicas, a TCC parece ser aplicável e permite um tratamento eficaz para esta população

Dependência de Internet e de jogos eletrônicos: um enfoque cognitivo-comportamental

Background While several benefits are attributed to the Internet and video games, an important proportion of the population presents symptoms related to possible new technological addictions and there has been little discussion of treatment of problematic technology use. Although demand for knowledge is growing, only a small number of treatments have been described. Objective To conduct a systematic review of the literature, to establish Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as a possible strategy for treating Internet and video game addictions. Method The review was conducted in the following databases: Science Direct on Line, PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane Clinical Trials Library, BVS and SciELO. The keywords used were: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; therapy; treatment; with association to the terms Internet addiction and video game addiction. Given the scarcity of studies in the field, no restrictions to the minimum period of publication were made, so that articles found until October 2013 were accounted. Results Out of 72 articles found, 23 described CBT as a psychotherapy for Internet and video game addiction. The manuscripts showed the existence of case studies and protocols with satisfactory efficacy. Discussion Despite the novelty of technological dependencies, CBT seems to be applicable and allows an effective treatment for this population.Contexto Enquanto diversos benefícios são atribuídos à Internet e aos jogos eletrônicos, uma importante parcela da população apresenta sintomas relacionados a possíveis novas dependências tecnológicas, e pouca discussão tem ocorrido sobre o tratamento do uso problemático de tecnologia. Embora a demanda por conhecimento esteja crescendo, apenas um pequeno número de tratamentos tem sido descrito. Objetivo Conduzir uma revisão sistemática da literatura e estabelecer a Terapia Cognitivo-Comportamental (TCC) como uma estratégia possível para o tratamento da dependência de Internet e de jogos eletrônicos. Método A revisão foi conduzida nos seguintes bancos de dados: Science Direct on Line, PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane Clinical Trials Library, BVS e SciELO. As palavras-chave utilizadas foram: Terapia Cognitivo-Comportamental; terapia; tratamento; com associação aos termos Dependência de Internet e dependência de jogos eletrônicos. Dada a escassez de estudos no campo, não foram feitas restrições quanto ao período mínimo de publicação, de modo que os artigos encontrados até outubro de 2013 foram contabilizados. Resultados Dos 72 artigos encontrados, 23 descreveram a TCC como uma psicoterapia para a dependência de Internet e de jogos eletrônicos. Os manuscritos mostraram a existência de estudos de caso e protocolos com eficácia satisfatória. Conclusões Apesar da novidade das dependências tecnológicas, a TCC parece ser aplicável e permite um tratamento eficaz para esta população

Psychometric property and measurement invariance of internet addiction test: the effect of socio-demographic and internet use variables

Background: According to the validation literature on items of Young’s Internet Addiction Test (IAT), this study rephrased disputable items to improve the psychometric properties of this Chinese version of IAT and identify the presence of differential item function (DIF) among demographic and Internet use factors, detect the effect of demographic and Internet use factors on IAT after adjusting for DIF. Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed to college students in Zhe Jiang province in two stage. The 1st phase study collected 384 valid responses to examine the quality of IAT items by using Rasch Model analysis and exploring factor analysis (EFA). The online questionnaire was modified according to the 1st phase study and distributed online for the 2nd phase study which collected a total of 1131 valid responses. The 2nd phase study applied confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and a multiple indicator multiple causes (MIMIC) model to verify the construct of IAT, potential effect of covariates on IAT latent factors, as well as the effect of differential item functioning (DIF). Results: Rasch model analysis in the 1st phase study indicated a 5-point rating scale was performed better, no sever misfit was found on item. The overall property of Chinese version IAT with the 5-point scale was good to excellent person and item separation (2.66 and 6.86). A three-factor model was identified by EFA. In the 2nd phase study, IAT 13 were detected with DIF for gender in MIMIC model. After correcting DIF effect, the significant demographic and Internet use factors on IAT were time spent online per day, year 3, year 2, general users. Conclusion: Item improvement was efficient that the problematic items found in literature was performed good in this study. The overall psychometric property of this Chinese version IAT was good with limited DIF effect in one item. Item improvement on IAT13 was encouraged in the future study to avoid gender bias and benefit for epidemiology on PIU

Neurobiological correlates of avatar identification processing and emotional inhibitory control in internet gaming disorder

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is the most prevalent subcategory of internet addiction. It has been associated with self-concept deficits and related characteristics such as emotional as well as social competence deficits, increased social anxiety and a stronger identification with the own avatar (i.e. a graphical agent that often seems to be constructed according to gamers’ ideal). In addition, IGD seems to be linked with inhibitory control deficits, definable as impairments in the inhibition of reactions to irrelevant stimuli during the pursuit of cognitively represented goals. However, the neurobiological correlates of avatar compared to self and ideal-related identification processing as well as emotional inhibitory control in (socially) anxious contexts as potentially important factors in IGD development have not been explored yet. The brain region of the left angular gyrus (AG) has been associated with self-identification from a third-person perspective in healthy controls and showed avatar-related hyperactivation in long-term online gamers during a task on self and avatar reflection in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) seems to be involved in the integration of negative affect and cognitive control. Based on these observations, internet gaming addicts were neurobiologically examined by means of fMRI with a focus on the left AG as well as the dACC while completing specific tasks and compared to non-addicted controls as well as social media addicts. Hereby, participants’ concepts of self, ideal and avatar were assessed with a reflection task asking for the evaluation of characteristics regarding the self, ideal and own avatar. Emotional inhibitory control in a socially anxious context was neurobiologically explored by means of an emotional Stroop task (EST) assessing the inhibition on socially anxious words compared to positive, negative and neutral word stimuli under parallel reaction time recording. In addition, the emotional inhibitory control at anxious stimuli was examined neuropsychologically by means of an affective Go/No-Go task (AGN). Besides, psychometric questionnaires assessing impulsivity, emotional competence and social anxiety were applied. Internet gaming addicts showed significantly higher levels of impulsivity, social anxiety and emotional competence deficits relative to non-addicted controls in psychometric measures. Neurobiologically, internet gaming addicts exhibited left AG hyperactivations during the reflection on their own avatar relative to self and ideal reflection within their group as well as compared to non-addicted controls. In the EST, internet gaming addicts had longer reaction times during the inhibition on socially anxious compared to positive and negative words as well as compared to positive, negative and neutral words together. During the latter comparison, internet gaming addicts neurobiologically showed significant hypoactivations in the left middle and superior temporal gyrus (MTG and STG), which was also significantly lower relative to social media addicts. Functional alterations in the dACC were not observed. Neuropsychologically, no significant differences in emotional inhibitory control at anxious stimuli between internet gaming addicts and non-addicted controls were detected by means of the AGN. In summary, the virtually concretized avatar might replace the rather abstract ideal in IGD as a construct to identify with. The need for such a construct might arise from the urge to compensate dissatisfaction with the own person as a facet of self-concept deficits. The MTG and STG have previously been associated with the retrieval of words or expressions during communication, social perception and emotion regulation (based on a study in social anxiety disorder). The present finding of these regions’ hypoactivation in relation to socially anxious stimuli might indicate that 1) socially anxious words are less retrievable from the semantic storage of internet gaming addicts than positive, negative or neutral words, 2) in IGD, emotional inhibitory control in the socially anxious context is represented by brain regions involved in the processing of social information (such as the MTG and STG) and that 3) internet gaming addicts have deficiencies in the cognitive regulation of emotions as well as in the processing of social information, with the MTG and STG hypoactivation during socially anxious word blocks possibly serving as a neurobiological correlate of IGD-related social and emotional competence deficits as facets of self-concept impairments

Influence of psychological, internet use and demographic factors on pathological internet use among university students

The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of Pathological Internet Use (PIU), to test the hypothesized structural model of Pathological Internet Use (PIU) and explore the relationship between cognitive distortion, depression, motivation, loneliness, stressful life events, and PIU. A total of 1493 undergraduate students from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) were selected as respondents of this study. The results of this study showed an overall prevalence of PIU was 1.2% and there was no significant difference across groups (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game known as MMORPG, Social Networking Sites known as SNS, and general). The structural model of PIU demonstrated a good fit and all the variables were identified as significant predictors of PIU. Cognitive distortion was identified as the most significant predictor influencing PIU (Beta=0.47, p<0.01), and was confirmed as the most significant mediator between motivation (Beta=0.45, p<0.01), stressful life events (Beta=0.15, p<0.01), depression (Beta=0.39, p<0.01) and PIU. Motivation was found as the second significant predictor directly influencing PIU (Beta=0.35, p<0.01), while stressful life events was the lowest significant predictor directly influencing PIU (Beta=0.10, p<0.01). All the three factors contributed 65% variance of PIU. Besides this, depression was identified as the second significant mediator fully mediating the effect of loneliness on cognitive distortion (Beta=0.71, p<0.01) and partially mediating the effect of stressful life events on cognitive distortion (Beta=0.22, p<0.01). The multi-group analysis was applied to test the moderating effect of Internet use group (MMORPG, SNS, general) on the structural model. The result confirmed the invariance of the structural model across groups. The discussions of results were based on cognitive-behavioral model and previous literatures related PIU. It is recommended to conduct research on pathological Internet use (PIU) among university students as it can identify the status of their Internet use

A multifaceted approach to understanding schizoid personality across behavioral, intrapsychic, and interpersonal domains

The aim of the present study was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the interaction amongst the behavioral, intrapsychic, and interpersonal domains of schizoid personality. A sample of 227 Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) players, ages 18 to 30, completed online self-report measures concerning maladaptive personality traits and several aspects of interpersonal functioning. The sample also provided narratives for Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) cards that were coded by the Mutuality of Autonomy Scale for the TAT (MOA-TAT) to measure schizoid self-other representations. Results showed that schizoid personality could be understood as a dimensional construct, specifically as a constellation of maladaptive personality trait facets of anhedonia, intimacy avoidance, withdrawal, and restricted affectivity according to the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD). However, the relationship between schizoid personality and cold and socially avoidant interpersonal problems was not mediated by schizoid self-other representations, which are characterized by the intrapsychic fear of engulfment and traumatic impingement by others. Significant predictions of schizoid characteristics on interpersonal problems, values, and sensitivities allowed for an integrated understanding of how intrapsychic processes can affect various dimensions of interpersonal functioning in schizoid personality. An argument is made for the continued integration of scientific research and clinical observations to paint a more comprehensive picture of this understudied phenomena. Limitations of the study, clinical implications, and directions for future research are discussed

Preventing harmful Internet use-related addiction problems in Europe: a literature review and policy options

Internet use-related addiction problems are increasingly being recognized on a European scale due to international health organizations considering gaming addiction. In April 2013, the American Psychiatric Association recognized Internet Gaming Disorder in the fifth Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and in April 2018, the World Health Organization included Gaming Disorder in the eleventh International Classification of Diseases. However, findings on these problems within this period are lacking in Europe, and a preventive approach is missing globally. A detailed critical literature review was conducted using PsycINFO and Web of Science in this five-year period. A total of 19 studies were reviewed and problems identified were: generalized Internet addiction and online gaming and gambling addictions across seven European countries (i.e., Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, The Netherlands, and Denmark). The individuals with problematic use were found to be educated adolescents, usually young males with comorbid disorders, and gaming and gambling disorders were implicated in the most severe cases. Cognitive behavioral therapy was the main treatment, sometimes combined with a systemic approach for adolescents. Prevalence, high-risk populations, and factors contributing to these addiction problems are discussed, and a set of policy options are developed for this region. The implications for early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention in Europe are considered